74 INTERGRAIN.COM.AUIntergrainfinisheshavebeenusedto
outstandingeffectinthisaward-winning
homebyMelbourne’sEMEDesign.Cladin
factory-coatedtimbersthatofferstyleand
longevity,therenovatedheritagehouseis
an exemplar in sustainable building design.INTERGRAINSHOWCASE
Aheritage home
extension that
will endure
the test of time
Designer:EMEDesign
Builder:RidgeDevelopments
Timbersupplier:PreciseTimberInnovations
Photographs: Amorfo, Luke MiddletonWhenEMEDesigndirectorLukeMiddletonwasapproached
toextenda heritage-listedhomeinArmadaleinMelbourne’s
south-east,herelishedtheopportunity.Thehome’s
interiorsweren’tfitforlivingintermsofbeingfunctionalor
accommodating,sotheprioritywastocreateanabodethat
offeredcomfortablelivingspacesandefficientplanning.
GivenEMEDesign’sstrongcommitmenttosustainability,
it wasalsoimportantthattheprojectcomplywithpassive
housestandards.
Inconceivingtheextension,thedesigner’s
greatestchallengeinvolvedoptimizingsolaraccesstothe
home’ssouth-facingrearandthesolutioncameviathe
incorporationofanasymmetricalbutterflyroof.Striking
initsarchitecturalform,theroofpertinentlyallowsthe
wintersunintotheheartofthehome,whilealsoproviding
shadeinsummer.Withintheextensionisanopen-plan
livingarea,whichwrapsarounda courtyardplantedwith
deciduoustrees.Thekitchenhasbeenpositionedinthe
thresholdspacebetweentheexistingstructureandthe
newextension,thusreducing“circulation-only”zonesand
ultimatelymakingthemostofthehome’scompactfootprint.
It’sa simpleyetrobustdesignthatuseslow
embodiedenergymaterials,whichalsooffergreatlongevity.
LocalAustraliantimberswerethelogicalchoiceforthe
extension’scladding,aswerethecarefullyselectedtimber
coatings.IntergrainUltraDeckin‘Natural’hasbeenused
tostunningeffectonthevaried-widthpanelling,while
theremainingtimberelementsarecoatedinIntergrain
NaturalStainin‘Ebony’.“Wewantedtousematerialsthat
canstandthetestoftimeandweliketheideathata building
likethiscanhavea hundred-yearlifespan,withtimbers
thatageelegantlyovertime,”Lukenotes.“UsingIntergrain
productswaspartofour‘thinklocal’environmentalstrategy
aswell,becausethey’refitforpurposeand can withstand
the harshest of Australian climates.”Thebenefitsofusingfactory-coatedtimber,
asopposedtotimbercoatedonsite,arealsovaluedby
Luke,whofavoursa coatingprocessthatallowstheentire
materialtobefinishedevenly.“Itgoesthrougha soaking
stage,whichallowsthefirstcoattoimpregnatethetimber,”
heexplains.“Thetopcoat,likeanything,willdeteriorate
overtime,buttheimpregnatedlayermeansthatthere’s
consistencyonallsurfaces.I’vebeentothefactory
andseenthesprayingprocess,andcanattestthatthe
timber’sbeingcoatedevenlyandinaccordancetothe
manufacturer’sspecification– thisgivesmeconfidence.”
Certainly,there’sa qualityassurancethatcomes
withfactory-coatedtimberthatcan’tbematchedby
on-sitecoating.Problemscanarisewhenthematerial
isleftexposedtotheelementsforanextendedperiodof
timeandon-sitecoatinginevitablycreatesmess– suchis
thenatureoffinishingmaterialsinanuncontrolled,outdoor
environment.It’salsojustanotheractivityonthesiteand,
whilea largerareamighteasilyaccommodatethis,smaller
residentialsitescan’taffordtheroom.ForLuke,moving
towarda constructionapproachthatincorporatesas
manyprefabricatedelementsaspossibleinorderto
reduce on-site costs and time simply makes good sense.01