Beyond our Borders
Published newsletter written for Gillespie & Steel Associates Ltd.
Text written by Devonne Coll, with final edits by Gillespie & Steel Associates Ltd.
All photos and text are copyright of Gillespie & Steel Associates Ltd.
To continue our series of ‘Designing Outside Our Borders,’ this month we will focus on a contemporary residential design project in Perth, Western Australia. Designing in Australia presented contextual challenges which were very different to what we commonly work with in the Caribbean. This included differences in climate and landscape, planning laws and building regulations, materiality, and of course, the local architectural vernacular.
Our clients are an English family who GSA have a history of working with. A number of years ago they worked with GSA to design and build a much loved family holiday home in Barbados. Since then, the client had purchased a vacant residential lot for an additional holiday home in Perth, Australia, where a son lives. GSA were appointed to assist with developing the initial scheme design.
This longstanding relationship is a testament to GSA’s emphasis on creating and maintaining close connections with our clients. Not only does it contribute to the successful outcome of a project, but it aims to instil in the client that we always have their best interests in mind throughout the entirety of their project.
The client’s son is a Structural Engineer, and had set up a Joint Venture with a local Quantity Surveyor and Architect. GSA were appointed to create the scheme design of the house, which would then be progressed through planning and construction by the son’s local team. This process allowed GSA use to our previous knowledge of working with the client to create the initial design, whilst the Perth team could advance it using their local expertise.
The client had found a precedent of a contemporary residence which appealed to them, and this acted as a starting point for our design. The proposal was to create a one storey, three-bedroom house, including kitchen, living and dining areas, study, and most importantly an outdoor living terrace with bbq station, as this is a fundamental part of Australian culture and life.
The most significant features to be explored in the architectural design were:
The client particularly liked glass and requested this be a central part of the design.
Efficient use of space throughout
Shading elements
Contemporary massings / volumes of the house
Emphasis on natural lighting
Use of natural timber internally, for walls and ceilings
The site is located in a suburb of Perth, which is the capital and largest city of Western Australia. The lot is adjoined by other residences to the North, East and West, and the main access road to the South.
Perth’s climate is comprised of hot, dry summers, and cool, wet winters. This informed the design, especially the massing and arrangement of spaces and materiality. Similarly, Australia is located in the Southern hemisphere, which we used to determine the North facing orientation of the house, and placed the master suite, outdoor terrace, kitchen, dining and study to the North. This maximised natural light into these internal spaces, whilst shading to the outdoor living terrace allowed a reprieve from the strong summer sun and wet winters.
The final design is formed of two main volumes, split centrally with sloped roofs, offering a contemporary take on a traditional pitched roof house design. The larger volume contains the main living spaces, whilst the smaller houses the bedrooms. However, we progressed through a number of iterations of the design, before this scheme was realised. The key design moves included:
Flipping the orientation of the spaces East to West. This was different to what the clients had initially wanted, but we explained how this allowed the best arrangement of the spaces in relation to the site.
Reducing the amount of glass to meet building regulation and budget requirements. However, glass is still incorporated on the North and South elevations, following the roof shape whilst bringing in natural light. This is in keeping with the client’s original brief
The use of a light gauge steel structure with contemporary cladding options, to reflect the modern nature of the design.
The project has been approved by Perth’s Planning Department, and will be progressing into construction stage, with GSA to offer assistance with the internal finishes and details.
One of the biggest achievements on this project was successfully managing the different expectations of the family members involved, and understanding these to create a proposal which appealed to all. We look forward to seeing this project progress through construction, and the creation of another cherished family home for our clients.