Houses Australia - April 2018

(nextflipdebug2) #1

L


ocatedwestoftheBallaratCBD,thishomebyEldridge
Anderson is almost an anachronism. As a first project, it is
remarkably refined, as if the practice had leapt forward thirty
yearstolearnfromits“earlyjob”mistakes.Intruth,the
collaborating architects, Jeremy Anderson and Scott Eldridge, studied
architecturetogetherandhaveeachbeenpractisingformorethan
tenyearsbeforecollaboratingonthisproject.
Theproject’sgenesishasasenseofcircularitytoit,theclients
being Jeremy’s parents, who presented the opportunity to design a
newhomeforthemastheyretire.Thisfamilialrelationshipalso
affordedtheduoalevelofcomfortinexploringanapproachof
reductiveandrationalarchitecture,arareopportunityforapractice
to be able to realize a built version of their manifesto as a first project.
Situated in a quiet street within a new estate, the home presents
acalmandalmosthumbleelevationtothestreet,yetisimmediately
setapartfromitsneighboursbyahandfulofcarefulgestures.The
most obvious is the impossibly fine horizontal plane created with the
foldedgutter,creatingacrispprofilethathoversatapleasinglylow,
humanscaleovertheentry.Theroof,asinglerakedplane,thenlifts
generously as it travels north over the living areas. The next gesture
is the palette of robust, neutral materials, such as the unfinished
concreteblockandcementsheetorthetimbercladdinggivenalight

grey wash, all materials that are antithetical to the relentless and
rarely challenged veneer of brick and render that typifies most new
volumehousing.Amoresubtlecontributionisfoundinthehome’s
occupationoftheblock,withthefootprintheldwellawayfromthe
side boundaries, especially to the east, creating an opportunistic
spacefortheclients–avidgardeners–tocolonize.
The brief from Jeremy’s parents wasn’t onerous: it asked for some
bedrooms for visiting kids (and their kids), a generous open area for
entertaining, and that the design reference an appreciation of the
American Case Study Houses. The biggest challenge was for Jeremy
andScotttoaccomplishthiswithinaveryleanbudget.Infact,for
the project to even proceed, the build cost had to compete with those
of the speculative houses around them, something that the architects
proudly report was achieved.
Designing a bespoke residence for the outlay of a volume home is
nomeanfeat,especiallyconsideringthehighleveloffinish,custom
joinery and precise detailing throughout. The architects relied on
therebeingarationalityandsimplicitytothestructuraldiagram
and assembly of components. As we walked through the house,
Jeremynotedthatiftherewasonephrasethatdefinedtheprocess,
it was “pare it back.” This approach started with the size of the
spaces themselves. Each room has been reduced to its comfortable

04

Free download pdf