Project Overview

An architecturally designed home for oneself! From material choices to orientation and layout, an architect’s self designed home is the ultimate vision come to life. The brief was to harness passive solar design and utilise spaces cleverly without unnecessarily enlarging the floor plate and embracing the natural features of the site. This modern home stands out in the streetscape but still cleverly maintains the solidity and secure feeling of a ‘brick and mortar’ home.

Organisation

Wakhare Family

Team

Sachin Wakhare- Architect
Kalyani Wakhare-ESD Consultant
Sanjay Wakhare-Home Automation

Project Brief

Less was certainly more in this design brief. It was a unique home which had to accommodate a large family and their individual requirements for bedrooms, common spaces and seamless flow of indoor/ outdoor space. The brief also included maximising built in storage and reducing the need for buying furniture. The vision for the home was to have a contemporary, minimal and light filled feel and integrate sustainability in every aspect of the home.

Project Innovation/Need

The two storey house is anything but typical. The design response was shaped based on the challenges on site and inspired by the surrounding heritage buildings. The materials are a unique palette of recycled bricks, lightweight cladding and plywood that blend in softly with the natural environment. The site orientation has been effectively exploited to maximise daylight and take advantage of the northern sun throughout the living spaces and most bedrooms. The east face which is also the street frontage has large windows with sunhoods and a dynamic entry canopy that balances the asymmetry of the openings.

The house provides a rich living experience to its occupants due to a number of reasons- the flow of spaces, the quality of daylight, the internal finishes in a neutral timeless palette and the interaction of indoor and outdoor space.

Design Challenge

The site was uniquely positioned in terms of street presence and orientation which gave it an advantage; however there were a number of challenges. A sewer line ran through the middle of the site, a flood channel had to be constructed under the raised house to mitigate the flood zone issue.

The site also had an established date palm on the south west almost in the middle. This was a challenge for sizing of the living/ dining space. A unique solution was developed to retain the tree and wrap the living and family space around it with a 3m setback. Integrating the tree with the western facade was not only advantageous for shading but also presented an opportunity to blend the plywood clad western canopy with it and natural materials creating harmony and an inviting connection with the backyard.

Trade and material delays were another challenge of constructing during COVID times and decisions had to be made on the fly about materials and finishes both for the outside and inside without compromising on the original design and vision.

Sustainability

The two storey home encompasses sustainability in every aspect from passive design, choice of materials, resource efficiency and also socially sustainable. It harnesses the sun not just in terms of flooding key spaces with daylight but also has a 6.6 kW solar PV array on the roof. Low e glass used for the northern and western face windows helps in improving the thermal efficiency of the house. A 3000L rain water tank has been installed which collects the run off that can be used for irrigating the garden and lawn.

The key highlight of the house is the fascinating palette of recycled and waste bricks, creatively put together by the architect himself and built to spec by the brick contractor. At a glance, the warm brick colours perfectly compliment the timber and metal cladding. The harmonious blend of different materials results in a rustic, homely yet rich feel.

Locally manufactured and sustainable finishes were installed internally as much as practically possible- including the ‘concrete look’ floor tiles, timber floor, insulation and organic bamboo S panelling.

This home also addresses a major issue about another aspect of sustainability, especially in Sydney where housing affordability is out of reach. No bedroom remains unused and all spaces are utilised by members of this large family also making the home socially sustainable.