he brief for the Port Fairy project in Victoria was to capture views from as many aspects as possible. This had to be achieved within the local planning controls, such as a 7m height control, minimal land disturbance and a covenant restricting flat roofs or pitched roofs less than 15 degrees. As the home is located on the coast, it also required low maintenance materials which could withstand the local environment.
During the planning process, BCA changes were effected post-planning and during construction for handrails and experimental glass water walls. This required a redesign of the internal space, with input from Michael Hearn. It also required innovative solutions to indigenous issues and an on-site glazing design for internal features associated with the handrails.
Also adding complexity was the balustrade on the first floor, which Hearn says was "a new implementation due to the client feeling very strongly towards a chunky timer and stainless steel wire balustrade, which added time, cost and modification to the existing core design".
The home used bagged brick and spotted gum shiplap cladding. "The timber cladding to the façade was a new proprietary system that guaranteed the coating for five years, [but] it failed in three months. The problem was identified, resolved and paid for by the company guaranteeing the product," Dean Picken says.
An innovative aspect for Picken was the form over the site to prevent the building appearing too overbearing. He achieved this by splitting it into three pods: the garage, living area and sleeping areas. This pod design splits on an axis, cutting the house east/west and north/south, which allows cross ventilation.
"Some other innovations undertaken to achieve the level of detail we required were a glass wall sleeve to the staircase as a single entity reaching two-storeys; a boardwalk entry detail flows through to the entry foyer with a seamless integration of the internal cladding to the outside cladding, despite a window separating them; and the moat and water feature outside," Picken says.
For Hearn, the internal stair void was innovative, as well as the wall linings which integrated an open tread red ironbark staircase with a floating 20 mm full height toughened glass panel balustrade divider.
"Also, direct sticking red ironbark flooring and grooving to accommodate a siga flex caulking shadow effect. This was to pick up the continuation of the jetty- like red ironbark plank decking entrance walkway that flowed into the entry under the stair," Hearn says.
Some new products Hearn used in the project included a new transparent interior and exterior wall coating system, which was used to achieve a consistent colour and texture finish to the red ironbark timbers.
Sustainable initiatives were high on the agenda, with the garden comprising local indigenous plants, bluestone supplied from the local quarry and local granite sand as garden beds. Timber for the external cladding and internal floors was sourced from managed forests, and LED lighting was used internally and externally.
Picken and Hearn have worked on projects together for the past 15 years. "[Hearn] has become a good friend over the years and we have a fantastic working relationship," Picken says.
Once construction was underway, numerous site meetings between the builder, designer and client took place, as well as with sub trades. Any issues that came up during the project were resolved with open discussion, on-site meetings, freehand sketches and further design detailing as the project unfolded.
"A great foreman on the project helped enormously, to the point where both designer and foreman worked on and in the landscaping, a rare and fulfilling experience from my point-of- view," Picken says.
With delays experienced in some supplies, such as imported tiles for the moat a 10 week wait and waiting on specialist trades who failed to deliver, Hearn has learnt "to make sure full due diligence is carried on product's systems on trades people that can over sell themselves".
Picken says: "I have spent days inside and outside this building and have a true understanding of how it works and that it matches its intentions, which is very hard to accomplish sitting at the desk."
Stephanie McDonald
