PROJECTS(^) // BUILDING
12: DESIGN ROZELLE HOUSE
LOCATION ROZELLE, NEW SOUTH WALES
This Rozelle dwelling has come a long way from
its humble beginnings. Originally containing
only a small one-bedroom cottage, the site
was excavated to make way for a large home
fi t for a family of four. However, the build
hit a number of roadblocks from the get go.
Firstly, the design took three years to obtain
development approval before fi nally getting the
green light from the New South Wales Land and
Environment Court. Then, while the home was
initially going to be constructed with lightweight
materials, this soon transitioned to heavyweight
options that included concrete and timber.
“Soon after the demolition of the old house,
the structural engineer advised that unless we
wanted columns throughout the living area, we
would have to use a concrete structure with
300-millimetre-thick slabs,” says homeowner
Anthony Andreatta. “We spent many nights
reviewing the design and fi nishes and decided
to use concrete to our advantage.” In a
fortuitous unforseen change, the material went
on to inform the exposed ethos of the home and
created the raw imperfections that reveal how
the house was constructed.
Architectural Design Simon Georges,
Development Design
Builder Rombro Constructions
(rombroconstructions.com.au)
13: DESIGN THE RUSTY HOUSE
LOCATION NORTHLAND
Wanting to move to the small seaside
Northland community to enjoy a more relaxed
lifestyle, Steve Wilson and Wendy Grell
needed a house that could withstand harsh
coastal conditions. Taking inspiration from
the abandoned barns and rusty cars and
machinery throughout the fi elds of Northland,
a home of rusty ‘shanty-ness’ was proposed by
Steve — one that realises the aesthetic without
the actual decomposition. To achieve this, the
home was clad in pre-weathered steel, which
is designed to rust only up to a certain point
then stop, forming a protective barrier that is
impervious to the harsh marine environment.
Because these steel sheets needed to be
pre-cut and pre-drilled off -site, the framework
beneath had to be built millimetre-accurate
or they wouldn’t fi t — meaning an excellent
builder was needed. Local builder Oliver Tuck
of Lindesay Construction was taken on as site
manager and head builder. “Setting up the
fi nal dimensions of a building at the foundation
stage is not the normal way to do things ... here
there was no room for error — everything was
cast in concrete from day one, so there was
no going back from the fi rst pour,” says Ollie.
This was particularly important given the steel
sheets were brought in from the US at a cost of
$140,000!
Architectural Design Crosson Architects
Builder Lindesay Construction
(lindesayconstruction.co.nz)
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