Bush House by Archterra Architects is located in Margaret River, Australia, within an existing clearing in a remnant of the marri/jarrah bushland. The house was built with prefabricated galvanized steel frames that enabled the main support structure to be erected in one day, and with a skateboard ramp also built outside on the property, it stands to reason that time saved building the home meant more time to play!
The brief for the home was to create a structure that felt like camping under a tarp with the outdoor lifestyle being of utmost importance.
The galvanized steel framing is exposed on both the interior and the exterior of the building and left unfinished the steel will patina with age, leaving a story of the home’s history on its framework.
Creating a separation between the social and private zones is a rammed earth wall that travels through the house, slicing through the exterior walls to create a privacy screen between the two zones.
Large galvanized steel drums on the back of the house are positioned under the low side of the sloping roof to collect rainwater.
A linear design that travels east/west, Bush House is contained under the protection of a single roof plane.
Passive sustainability includes cross ventilation and a calculated roof overhang that exposes the interior to the winter sun for heat absorption while protecting it against the summer sun and its extreme heat.
A 3kW ground mounted solar array, a solar hot water system and a worm farm that helps filtrate grey water before it is introduced into the garden.
The decking is recycled jarrah wood and the ceilings and some walls are covered in plywood.
In the winter a wood stove is used as a heat source and the concrete floors absorb the heat from the stove and the sun before slowly releasing it back into the home during the night.
Large expanses of operable glazings blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living.
The kitchen and dining area are contained within half the space allotted for the social zone while the living area takes up the other half.
Next to the dining area and tucked into an almost private room is a home office while next to the kitchen is the foyer complete with a green entry door.
On the other side of the foyer and office is the rammed earth wall that separates the social zone from the private zone and in the private zone is where the home’s only bathroom is located.
The bathroom overlooks the garden at the front of the house.
On the front of the house is first the laundry and then the bathroom and at the back of the house are two small bedrooms while the master bedroom takes up the complete width of the house on the far end.
The home is very secluded and none of the private rooms require window treatments.
External materials were selected to be largely self-finishing to minimize maintenance; zincalume steel, rammed earth and glass.
Louvered glass sections in the glazings create cross ventilation when open.
Archterra Architects.
Photography by Douglas Mark Black.
As interesting as Bush House is, it’s the skateboard ramp that really caught my eye. It is always fun to know that architects can include features that have no other purpose than to enjoy life such as a skateboard ramp. If art is more your thing, then check out these 10 examples of house facades tweaked with art, after all how much more enjoyable can you get than a house used as a blank canvas for art?
