Light heavyweight
From Sanctuary issue 10. More articles like this
By Stephen Crafti
Excerpt: Barbara and Ian always knew their leafy North Adelaide block had potential. Located on a compact site, abutting a golf course and parkland, they were aware of views that weren’t being taken advantage of. Hemmed in on either side by substantial homes (one heritage-listed), the obvious solution was to extend vertically. “I wanted a separate studio where I could paint and we also wanted separate guest accommodation,” says Barbara.
One of the architects the couple most admires is Glenn Murcutt, which is how they came to commission Troppo Architects. Architect Phil Harris, a co-director of Troppo, had worked with Murcutt. And like Murcutt, Troppo are recognised for ‘touching the earth lightly’, a phrase that’s come to represent lightweight and sustainable architecture. “We didn’t want a concrete bunker. We were interested in using materials that responded to the environment,” says Barbara.
Troppo’s steel-framed house features several materials, including rammed earth, copper cladding and timber. The rammed earth, quarried locally, not only has low embodied energy but creates excellent thermal mass. Combined with good passive design, the rammed earth stores coolness in summer and heat in winter, then releases it when it’s most needed. In the same way, a concrete floor on the ground level absorbs winter sunlight, which it stores and coverts to heat in the evenings.
“Natural light was at the top of our wish-list,” says Barbara. “The last house we lived in was more like a cave.”
“It wasn’t difficult knowing which direction to move. It was obvious we needed to take advantage of the northern back garden, as well as the views directly ahead,” says Troppo’s Cary Duffield. As Barbara and Ian don’t want to contemplate moving later in life, there are two bedrooms on this level, including the main. “Considerable energy goes in building a house. We didn’t see the point of starting over again down the track,” says Barbara.
Pivotal to Troppo’s design is a connection to the rear courtyard-style garden. Large bi-fold doors open to a deck. And a pond frames the main bedroom. Rather than simply frame the neighbour’s wall from the main bedroom, Troppo included low-level windows to frame the pond and high level celestial windows to capture the sky. The pond not only moistens and helps to cool the air, but it also animates the living areas, with the lounge also enjoying the play of water and light across the ceiling. “We’re only a short stroll from the city. But this feels like an oasis,” says Barbara.
The kitchen, which forms part of the open-plan living areas, was also conceived to “touch the earth lightly”. There are no handles on the kitchen cupboards (considered a superfluous detail) and appliances were chosen for their energy efficiency.
Cross-ventilation was also paramount. As well as large stackable doors to the rear deck, Troppo included ceiling fans for use in the warmer months. And rather than divide spaces with walls, the home is opened up as much as possible. Barbara’s studio, located on the first floor, overlooks the living room and through to the garden. “We wanted to make the garden feel like another room. There’s a blurring of lines between the indoor and outdoor spaces,” says Duffield.
There are photovoltaic cells on the roof for heating and underground water tanks to collect water for the garden, as well as for use in the bathrooms. Although it may have been tempting to orientate the house towards the golf course, Troppo preferred to orientate the house to the north to maximise the light. Ultimately this house operates on a number of levels, says Duffield: “It’s a comfortable house for two, but family and friends can easily fit under the one roof”.
