PS Architecture: Gold Coast House [EX]

E X E M P L A R / / G O L D C O A S T H O U S E / / I N N O V A R C H I

Background / Authors Note:

Innovarchi is an award-winning design and research based practise that draws on the collaboration of the directors Stephanie Smith and Ken McBryde, with internationally renown architects such as Herman Hertzberger and Renzo Piano. The Innovarchi team has experience working on diverse projects both at home in Sydney, Australia and internationally abound.

Innovarchi are highly focused on creating architecture as a fine art. Their work strives to meet the requirements of the client, brief, and site which are then used to create a built framework that captivates the resonance of light and shade, sound and movement, structure and space. Innovarchi also pursues these goals within the scope of sustainable design practise though a sensitive use of materials, appropriate climatic solutions and the integration of the built forms within the landscape. It's vision is to design exceptional buildings for exceptional quality of life (Beaver, 2004).

Gold Coast House is one of a handful of projects by Innovarchi within the Gold Coast region. Comprised of two pristine pavilions designed for a ballet teacher and artist who lives with her husband and mother, the house accommodates many different activities in a compact 500 square meters. In addition to providing a private apartment for the owner's mother, the house offers places for displaying art and for teaching dance. The house rides the grasslands of it's elevated site and is approached from behind via an upper storey terrace that unites two glass pavilions. Parking is on the lower level, where one finds an art gallery, art studio and ballet studio. This lower level is opaque, with masonry block construction, while the upper level is open and airy, with panoramic 270-degree views.

Architect: Innovarchi (Stephanie Smith & Ken McBryde)

Project: Gold Coast House

Client: Prudence Bowen & Richard Lenon

Location: Mudgeeraba (Gold Coast Hinterland), Queensland Australia

Completion: 2002

House as an Environmental Filter:

Gold Coast House is situated in a lush tropical region called the hinterland, which local visitors prefer to call "the green behind the Gold" (Dwell, 2003). Straddling the boarder of southern Queensland and New South Wales, these lush woodlands include a World Heritage listed rain forest and other quiet spots a world away from the crowded high-rises of the Gold Coast. An interesting way of observing the way the house reacts to it's environment is by viewing it as a product of the traditional Australian notion of the "house as veranda".

The upper floors of the residence, which serve as the living quarters, are transparent, with what Innovarchi describe as a "fishbowl, with controllable amounts of privacy", walls can be slid into place in rooms where privacy is required. The entire house is nestled into a hillside and the upper levels are elevated to take advantage of the views and increase the ventilation throughout.

This means that air will circulate quickly throughout the structure seeing that it is essentially a securely sheltered outdoor area. Open plan design works effectively in the tropical climate of the hinterland as the ambient temperature on the mountain is in the desired 24-26 degree levels throughout the majority of the year (Innovarchi, 2002).

The lower story houses a ballet studio in one pavilion and an art gallery in the other. These areas are more secluded from the surrounding environment to help patrons focus on the task at hand, in this sense, the levels can be consider more commercial than residential. Instead of incorporating 270 degree views, these lower levels only take advantage of the northern (main) view. It can be noted however that even the lower levels benefit from 360 degree natural ventilation to main fresh indoor air quality (Boschetti, 2002).

In many respects Gold Coast House is vernacular design at it's most simple, and yet, true to the firms' vision, Innovarchi have combined this passive element with fine art and and understanding of the particular client, which we will now discuss.

House as a Container for Human Activity:

As the illustration seen right depicts, the house has particular functions that the clients required, and so conventional residential construction would have been unsuccessful in meeting their needs. Instead Innovarchi have opted for dedicated spaces where every micro-environment within the house is keyed for a specific use. For example the lower and upper levels have distinctive purposes in which the lower levels are commercial and the upper levels are residential. This change in spatial use is not only reflected in their indicated use but the architectural form, climate and choices of material.

There are two pavilions, which generate two realms of privacy. The clients mother has a bedroom in one pavilion to herself. The couple live in a bedroom within the larger pavilion. The mothers pavilion also houses the artists studio and office for working. The separation of sleeping arrangement and the working environment between the couple provides the sense of privacy that a couple requires (Alexander et. al. 1977).

It can be observed that the house has many similarities, although not all, with Christopher Alexander's 'A Pattern Language'. For example, pattern 77 - House for a couple; clearly states that 'the house should be conceived as being made up of two kinds of places- a shared couples realm and individual private worlds. Imagine the shared realm as half-public and half-intimate; and the private worlds as entirely individual and private'. This is clearly considered when looking at Innovarchi's dual-pavilion layout, which actively separates the husband's art studio and display room from the wife's ballet studio. Many other patterns can also be observed within this house, and it quickly becomes evident that Innovarchi have carefully considered many aspects in relation to the commodity of the home (Alexander, et al. 1977).

House as a Delightful Experience:

Discussing the final subjective Vitruvian aspect of 'delight' is undoubtably the most difficult as there are many ideologies on what exactly 'is' delightful? Delight is found in perfected simplicity, appropriateness, ingenuity and spirit of the home which is gathered from it's individual distinguishing characteristics subject to the clients individual taste. While Innovarchi have cleverly and delicately crafted the house as a human container, and environmental filter - i find myself wondering if they succeeded in giving the home a spirit that is towards my personal tastes.

There is no doubting that Innovarchi have created an interesting piece of architecture with many clever ideas subtly incorporated into the functioning nature of the house. The forms and open rooms with their fresh airflow bring the outside world close to the security of home and the intelligent separation of work and play give privacy as well as openness. I do believe that a brief journey throughout the house would leave any architecturally inspired individual with a sensation of intrigue.

However, a major setback of the house is down to the simple principle of nesting (Fujimoto, 2010); there is very little to distinguish room from room. The kitchen, bathroom, laundry and bedroom all share the same palette of colours, materials and subtle forms, which leaves very little to distinguish the characteristic feel of one from another. In this sense I feel that Gold Coast House has the potential to be mildly clinical; a cold natured house that feels very unresponsive to human affection. Innovarchi could have employed a broader range of materials to combat this effect and give the house more distinguishing character such as wood's or stone unique to particular rooms of the home. Even introducing subtle changes in level while maintaining the open plan would have helped create the character required of a famous home. While the clients have had their needs met, it is difficult to say whether project was completely successful without hearing from them. However, the fact that Gold Coast House is not highly regarded within the architectural community at large, is indicative that this House has not been recognised as 'truly delightful'.

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Drawings by Peter Simon Tanevski on Gold Coast House by Innovarchi
NOTE TO TUTORS: INNOVARCHI NEVER PROVIDED PLANS FOR HOUSE. ALL BUT THE TOP FLOOR PLAN & CROSS SECTIONAL DIAGRAMS ARE ESTIMATIONS OF LAYOUT.

TWO EMAIL CONTACTS WERE MADE, AS WELL AS PHONE CONTACT - NO SUCCESS IN OBTAINING PLANS.