The innovative use of timber ‘block’ cladding makes Stonewood a sensitive, site-specific and sustainable response to its historical and environmental context.
Informed by the scale and form of a neighboring 1850’s Georgian cottage, Stonewood uses ventilated timber cladding facade as a modernised alternative to stretcher-course bluestone to make a thoughtful, contribution to the ongoing narrative of the streetscape.
It was designed for quietly spoken clients with three young, energetic boys. The brief asked for a bright home that could be opened up or closed off to suit different functions; a house that would interact with the community but still protect the privacy of its occupants.
Having a high performing home that responds to its environment and requires minimal energy consumption and ongoing maintenance was also important.
Despite the project’s small square meterage, Stonewood’s system of operable walls and sliding doors make its spaces reconfigurable and highly efficient. The versatility of the floor plan means that fewer rooms were required, and space usage could be doubled up.
Key initiatives:
- Operable front façade can be opened in winter to allow sun to heat concrete slab with internal coils, or closed in summer to provide solar shading
- Passive solar design
- Locally sourced materials
- Natural cross-ventilation
- 3 KW PV solar array
- 10,000 L Water tanks plumbed to toilets, laundry and garden
- Exposed thermal mass linked with in-floor hydronic heating
- Ventilated North & West facades
Photography by Andrew Wuttke
