Aqueduct House

Aqueduct House
Structure:RST Consulting
Address: Victoria, Australia
Project:2009
Completion:2012
Area:200 m2




Situated within a small clearing on top of a hill in the centre of a large parcel of native bushland South East of Melbourne, this house takes it's name from the old aqueduct which circles the property.

While directly referencing its rural context through the use of a thick rammed earth wall and rusted corten steel sheeting, the Aqueduct House brings this robust materiality together with a refined palate of glass, galvanised steel, dressed timber and white plaster to ensure that it stands distinctively against the agricultural backdrop.

Depicting the natural tones and textures of the site, the Rammed Earth wall dissects the entire length of the house extending beyond the external walls and into the landscape acting as the anchor for the house, grounding the building to the earth while allowing the rest of the structure including the roof and deck wafers to seemingly cantilever and hang off it. To achieve the large cantilevers and maintain a thin roof plate (300mm between ceiling and roof sheeting), the roof planes are constructed with a matrix of structural steel and infilled with timber framing. Most of this steel is concealed behind the soffit and the ceiling linings however it is expressed externally where large straight galvanised PFC's are used for both structure and fascia around the perimeter of the forms. The rammed earth wall conceals a series of steel columns which float the roof above.

The floor plan comprising of two intersecting rectangles is arranged around this main wall which as well as grounding the building externally also helps to define and divide the spaces internally. The rectangle floor plates intersect and overlap each-other eventually opening the house out to two main decks along the northern aspect. Entering the house from the South you are immediately funnelled through a break in the Rammed Earth which opens up into living space with the view to the north. A large 9 metre stacking glass wall allows the triangular living area to open out to the similarly shaped main deck effectively creating a large rectangular living space with a blurred threshold between inside and outside.

Designed around the idea of flexibility and transformable spaces, internally the Aqueduct House remains sparse and although the living areas and bedrooms hint at a use, they are largely open and undefinable. The floor plan allows for the house to be configured as a one, two or three bedroom home with adaptable living/studio spaces arranged within the main volumes while the utility areas of the kitchen and bathrooms remain the only real fixed programme. 

Reoccurring rural qualities of earth and fire combine regularly throughout the design. A free standing section of rammed earth in the centre of the living space houses an open fireplace on one side as well as a combustion stove on the other while the external mud-igloo pizza oven embedded into the rammed earth wall directly links the kitchen to the outdoors.

The risk of bushfire attack has been addressed through the design and siting of the Aqueduct House. Along with a predominantly non combustible building fabric of corten steel, earth and glass, the galvanised structural steel beams are expressed externally as fascias which cap and enclose the deck and roof plates to eliminate the chance of embers becoming lodged within the timber framing. The house is also equipped with stainless steel water tanks and a fire fighting pump.

Environmental consciousness was also a factor in the design of the Aqueduct House. The property is not connected to mains water and therefore relies on the collection and storage of rainwater, the large flat roof planes were designed to maximise catchments while large box gutters ensure that little to no water gets wasted. Internally a central chunk of Rammed Earth acts as a thermal mass when heated by the two fireplaces embed within it to ensure the main living area remains warm in winter while other than these two fireplaces, the only other source of heating is via a hydronic system that pumps hot water heated by the combustion stove through water pipes running just below the surface of the concrete ground slab. Expansive glazing along the Northern facade allows winter sun to penetrate deep into the main volume while the cantilevered eave protects against direct sun during the summer.
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