8.10 Bairnsdale, Victoria

This case study is an example of an autonomous house that generates its own electricity and hot water, collects and uses its own water, and recycles wastewater onto the vegetable garden and orchard. Due to the highly effective building fabric, it provides a comfortable and attractive internal environment with the temperature fluctuating between 17ºC and 26ºC.

The site is 75 acres of farmland outside Bairnsdale. The aim was to rejuvenate the land with new dams and a tree planting program. The house site is on a northern slope of the land with mid range views to neighbouring towns and distant views to mountain ranges. There is no overlooking from neighbours and no obstruction of solar access.

The climate is a mild temperate one in the south-east of Victoria.

The brief from the client team of a husband and wife for this project was for a beautiful low maintenance house that they could use as a base for their trips into the Australian bush. The house had to be light and airy, have wall space for paintings, and have a view from each room. It should be naturally warm and well ventilated when necessary, single level, and be a shelter.

The owners planned to spend most of their time outside. The emphasis was that the home be a house in the environment with an attached carport for the storage of kayaks, camping gear and a 4WD vehicle. Two associated sheds were also to be provided that would form part of the overall design, with one being a woodwork area and the other one an artist’s studio. The clients were well informed and very supportive of the environmental approach taken in the design.

Shape and orientation

The design begun by establishing the axis mundi, the vertical axis for the building that secured it to the site. This axis was determined by walking over the site many times until it became clear where the heart of the building should be.

This axis point was used as the starting point for the design, and later on, as the starting point for the layout and dimensioning. Around this vertical axis, a tower was developed that would form the basis for a stack ventilation effect. It would also function as a welcoming top-lit point of arrival in the entrance space.

From the tower a gently curving spine, oriented east/west, leads off which formes the basis for a corridor connecting all the rooms. The corridor also containes a library. North/south ribs run off from this spine, defining the spaces on either side. This initial concept, seen in plan view in Figure 1 below, made it possible to achieve excellent passive solar design. [See: 2.2 Choosing a Site; 4.3 Orientation]

Zoning of spaces

The client requested a house that could be zoned off for various patterns of use. The three core spaces were the main, sitting and dining areas. These three spaces lie side by side on the north side of the building, and can be sealed off from each other and the remainder of the house. Sliding doors separate the zones. The remainder of the spaces required were designed around these main spaces.