Modern Materials To Set Trends
03 April 2007
| Location: | Mornington Peninsula, Victoria |
| Country: | Australia |
| Architect: | Graham Jones |
| Awards: | Two awards and a commendation from the Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV) |
As all designers and architects know, the choice of materials can make or break a project and achieving the right balance of texture, tone and style is as much of an art as it is a science.
In a recent project, building designer Graham Jones successfully integrated a variety of materials to stunning effect, winning his dual townhouse development on the Mornington Peninsula two awards and a commendation from the Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV), who described the project as one that 'sets trends rather than follows them', a reflection of the designer himself.
With clients who share a love of warehouse styling and minimalist architecture, Graham set out to create an exciting and memorable building, a house full of extremes, full of features, yet one that would remain totally minimal.
The brief was met largely by the building's exterior facade. Its two storey grid like surface is made up of a unique combination of materials and finishes. For example, Graham selected 'compressed' cement sheeting, with aluminium battens for the joins, and combined it with BlueScope Steel's XLERPLATE® steel HW350 coil plate cladding, which has an oxidised textured surface. Another defining feature is the window boxes, created with polish rendered panels and lacquered in a clear finish. Below, imported slabs of bluestone adorn the ground floor and main courtyard, setting the 'warehouse' theme for the contemporary interior.
For the rear of the townhouses, which included courtyard spaces, Graham wanted a distinctive yet cost effective walling material, so he used cladding made from COLORBOND® steel in a LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® profile and in the colour Woodland Grey®.
As Graham explained: "In choosing COLORBOND® steel, the main factor for us was the architectural linear look and texture it provided, when used horizontally. Also, it's cost effective to use as cladding, not to mention the fact that it's low maintenance," he added.
The result is a bold facade of contrasting elements, each complementing each other through their colour and texture. On announcing the awards, the BDAV jury commented that, 'The development is well articulated through the use of different materials. This is a lasting design that uplifts and inspires!'
Photography by Chris Groenhout
