18: DESIGN OCEAN SHORES CHIPBOARD HOUSE
LOCATION OCEAN SHORES, NEW SOUTH WALES
The Chipboard house has been described as
“small, simple and straightforward”, refl ecting
the pared-back needs of the family that dwells
within. A diffi cult site and a tight budget were
the driving force that informed the design of
this unique home in Ocean Shores. Wanting
to live a fuss-free life, homeowner Zewlan
Moor stumbled across A-CH Architects during
a research session to fi nd her dream home.
Admiring their clean aesthetic, the homeowners
contacted architects Melody Chen and James
Hung to turn their dream house into a reality.
“It was refreshing to see a client who wanted
a compact house and something that was
designed to suit their lifestyle,” says Melody.
Though “alarmingly small” in size, the wedge-
shaped Chipboard House nonetheless fulfi ls
the needs of the family, with the home rising
to double height at one end and managing to
contain three bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen
and living spaces, all with plenty of natural light.
A complex space that’s humble in appearance,
the home has a radical design that’s never been
seen before, making it one of a kind — for now.
Architectural Design A-CH (a- ch.com.au)
Builder SJ Reynolds Constructions
(sjrconstruct.com)
Photography Nick Wilson
19: DESIGN STILT HOUSE
LOCATION PUKERUA BAY, NORTH ISLAND NZ
A lecturer in construction methodology at the
Victoria University School of Architecture in
Wellington, Guy Marriage decided to put his
knowledge to the test and build his own home.
“I think it’s the birthright and the want of every
architect to build their own place,” claims Guy.
Pooling his resources with family members, Guy
set out to design a modern-day Kiwi bach. “For
me it was the perfect chance to put my skills
to the test,” he says. “In theory, I knew what to
do. In practice, however, a few issues needed
to be overcome, like an unpredictable and
diffi cult site — one that sits in a hazard zone.” To
address these issues, Guy designed a platform
house with two distinct forms separated by adeck. “One half of the building, the ‘cottage’,
has lines and proportions that refer back to
the historic Maori Whare Whakairo form,” Guy
explains. “The other side is taller, like a tower,
and directly faces Kapiti, with its back against
the hill of Pukerua. The building aims to honour
the landscape and the sea as well as make the
most of the view. Overall, the home has been
designed to fi t into the context of the site and
not look out of place.”
Architectural Design Guy Marriage,
First Light Studio (fi rstlightstudio.co.nz)
Builder Jonny Clark ([email protected])19
18
PROJECTS(^) // ARCHITECTURE