Website

 

Project Overview

Single storey private residence for a family of 6 in semi-rural Victoria.

Project Commissioner

Private Client

Project Creator

Rachcoff Vella Architecture Pty Ltd

Team

Tony Vella & Stephen Rachcoff – Directors
Wade Stephens - Draftsman
Thivantha Vishwanath – Gradeuate Architect
Greg McNeil – Interior Designer
G & S Morris Constructions - Builder

Project Brief

A family home that would expose the clients to an exciting and challenging built environment. A place in which to embrace and experience the wider context of the 10 acre property. Stage one in a larger master plan for the entire site.
It was the existing home of our clients, they lived in a modest weatherboard cottage on the site. The existing house turned its back on most of the site, prohibiting a relationship with the overall site. Piermont aimed to connect the inhabitants to the landscape allowing them to experience the immediate environment and to feel integral to the overall master plan concept for the site.

Project Need

Piermont has been an engaging project for all involved in particular the clients who have now have the joy of experiencing a custom designed outcome. Its aimed at becoming a warm inviting home that is flexible enough to cater for a growing family as well as allowing them to engrave their imprint into the house and overall site master plan in the years to come. The house truly embraces its context and creates a unique environment for the users to enjoy their newfound relationship with the site. The project is an example of a simple and refined design response that delivers a unique and innovative architectural response.

Design Challenge

Developing a master plan that would excite highly educated and architecturally savy clients was the main design challenge. The architectural proposals during all stages of the project needed to be diverse and well considered to maintain the clients excitement and expectations.

Once the trust and design relationship was established the challenge moved from concept to delivery. Every facet of the project required resolved detailing and construction management working with the builder very closely. Upon establishing the narrative and determining the parameters of the project every input from there could be judged against this criteria.

Being restrained and restricting the temptations to add layers of unnecessary detail and noise was paramount and the other main challenge that can often see such projects lose their clarity. With a limited material palette that responded to the sites context this restraint was made somewhat easier and avoided over designing or embellishing perfectly sound design concepts.

Sustainability

Key to sustainability issues is the orientation of the building and performance of the structure in managing the extreme micro climate of the location. Orientation maximises passive solar design principles, low winter sun is allowed to penetrate into the fabric during winter whilst large eaves protect during summer.
Other key environmental considerations are;
• Heavy insulation throughout including slab, wall, ceiling and roof insulation.
• Solar Hot Water System.
• Photovoltaic Panels Pre wire.
• 80,000 litre rainwater tanks = 10,000 fire fighting tank.
• Integrated landscaping and pergola features for sun shading management.
• Insulated Hydronic Slab Heating throughout.
• Fixed shading devices to glass roofs.
• Low VOCC paints and stains.

Architecture - Residential - Constructed

Presented by:

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. The project must be constructed.

More Details