Great Granny House by Harley Graham Architects
Great Granny House is a contemporary concrete house located in Byron Bay, Australia, designed in 2018 by Harley Graham Architects.
Description
The design of Great Granny House is a direct response to the specific site characteristics where the ocean views are to the South and the prime orientation is to the North. To optimize the views, habitable rooms are aligned in two wings articulated about a central entry and outdoor room all with ocean views.
The cranked configuration of the wings and the projecting external end walls provide wind protection to the Northern elevation in this exposed location. The single room depth of the wings provides cross ventilation to the majority of internal spaces and allows views through the living room from the Northern deck to the ocean beyond.
The isolated location of the site ensures privacy from the road and the opportunity has been taken for the house to present viewing of the owners’ art collection framed by the large expanses of Northern glazing. In the west wing, the angled slot windows are incorporated to indicate that the passage is a kinetic space.
The sectional profile of the house with the high northern overhang and raking soffit as well as providing sun control assist in ameliorating wind buffeting to the northern adjacent outdoor space.
The disposition of the house, the garage, the barbeque and the pool as completely separate elements is done to generate a residential precinct on an otherwise rural landscape where from various viewing locations the forms of the elements layer in differing formats.
The exterior materials, corrugated steel and off form concrete acknowledge local sheds and outbuildings, whilst taking advantage of a rare building opportunity and access to the availability of high quality concrete in a regional area.
**From Harley Graham Architects**
The ‘Great Granny House’, it’s namesake relating to an old road in Coopers Shoot, arrived in our studio through the builder, Lyle Le Sueur and Peter Carmichael requesting local design and documentation expertise.
The project clients had requested for Peter Carmichael, a venerable architect and a close friend of theirs of whom they had worked with on over 9 separate occasions, to return from his retirement and design a final home which integrated Peter’s accumulative design ideology.
We were approached as a result of Peter Carmichael’s previous office of Cocks Carmichael – a pioneer mid-century architectural practice – having closed some time before the inception of the Great Granny House project.
We were excited to collaborate with Lyle and Peter, on a project which was destined to become the amalgamation of his architectural legacy and with one of the finest builders in the Byron region.
Peter Carmichael’s conceptual approach while pragmatic, also has a close correlation to the clients personality and intrinsic ways of life. Experienced it is an eclecticism of forms – simultaneously a calmness in place but with an underlying eccentric desire for decisive brutalism and angular foray.
In this regard the project is both complimentary and simultaneously revealing of the personalities of those who live within. The result and testament of strong relationships shared between client and Architect.
Rural residential sites offer environmentally rich settings which can be embraced to create self-sufficient buildings. By harvesting rainwater at two points both the pool,landscape and toilets are maintained throughout the year. The amount of water stored is balanced with the projected needs and average downfall on the site. An on-site sewerage treatment system is also included. Cross ventilation is ensured by the cranked linear format embracing the predominant summer breezes and through using louvres consistently along both North and South facades. Louvres are spaced inconsistently along both faces in order to create effective air pressure. Apertures and clerestory windows along the North facade help to invite the winter sun. An operable pergola on the Northern deck helps to block the summer passive solar gain, and can be retracted to welcome it in the winter months.
The design of Great Granny House is a direct response to the specific site characteristics where the ocean views are to the South and the prime orientation is to the North. To optimize the views, habitable rooms are aligned in two wings articulated about a central entry and outdoor room all with ocean views.
Peter’s conceptual approach while pragmatic, also has a close correlation to the clients personality and intrinsic ways of life. Experienced it is an eclecticism of forms – simultaneously a calmness in place but with an underlying eccentric desire for decisive brutalism and angular forays with natural light.
The project speaks towards capturing opportunities afforded by the rural sites, a skilled building team and a strong historic bond between client and Architect. A final legacy project of Peter Carmichael that champions the pertinence of a strong connection the to clients and the personality this imbues within built form.
Photography by Peter Tanevski
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- by Matt Watts
