Summerville Residence

The Summerville Residence involves the design of various connected components – a shed, three domestic pavilions and a separate carport. The proposed design is a response to a unique site and challenges notions of domestic construction.

Running off a busy arterial road the site changes rapidly before it terminates at a small creek. The living pavilions have been positioned carefully at the cut off point where the site changes from suburban to bushland. The form of the main pavilion reflects this junction as it is expressed as a bar across the site – one side facing a controlled environment of pools and outdoor spaces and the other side facing native bushland. The bar runs east-west, exposing a long façade to the north which is open-ended to acknowledge distant views.

 The main pavilion will be constructed using concrete tilt-up panels. This material choice was initiated by the client and is an appropriate response to the site – the raw bush wants a tough material, whilst the outer suburban location means that neighbouring buildings are of a semi-industrial nature. The design responds to the materials by orthogonal planning and the creation of large double height living space. A mezzanine level overlooks this space and is accessed by stairs which are cantilevered off the tilt-up panel. The stairs continue to a roof deck where the concrete panels extend above the roof to become a balustrade.