The good life

An architect swaps a city

studio for a converted shed
in rural Tasmania
By Rachael Bernstone

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 While many people would have decided to demolish the shed
and start again, Ryan’s environmental sensibilities, along with his wanderings,
led him to see the shed’s potential

The desks are made

from recycled ironbark
and kauri from an
old Melbourne
L ife in Melbourne was good for architect Ryan
Strating and his partner Minky, but they
It wasn’t long before they’d found their ideal
property, a 2.5 hectare parcel of land with a 1906
technical college still yearned for a better quality of life in a rural home and a ramshackle shed out the back.
community near the ocean. They bought the property and quickly life settled
When Ryan’s partner in his architecture practice, into a charming routine. Trips to local restaurant
Core Collective, applied for a job at the UTAS Peppermint Bay for coffee. Strolling along Birch’s
Architecture School in Launceston, the seeds Bay beach with the dog. And jaunts on a Raleigh
were sown. bicycle, lent to Ryan by a friend. “It’s a lovely bike
After researching extensively, Ryan and Minky too and good for riding the 1.5 kilometre round trip to
decided to relocate to Tasmania, to Woodbridge, a the post office when I feel like it needs a run,” Ryan
gorgeous coastal hamlet overlooking Bruny Island, says. “That happens every few weeks and definitely
half an hour’s drive south of Hobart. only on sunny days.”

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 With the exterior we just patched a couple of boards

Recycled timber and

vintage Japanese fabric
lamp by Nicholls Design
(bike by Raleigh)

Woodbridge was also the perfect region to indulge undertake a formal research project on the subject. His first step was to keep the exterior as is, First Ryan lined the weatherboards with
Ryan’s fascination with rural agricultural buildings. Ryan’s wanderings also inspired his designs. in sympathy with other sheds in the area. “With insulation. Then a local carpenter built a pine stud
He loved walking around the region studying their The way that the local sheds were constructed the exterior we just patched a couple of boards,” frame inside the weatherboard casing, which had
elegant, practical forms. and adapted found him wanting to emulate their the dual purpose of framing the new interior walls
says Ryan.
Explaining his fascination with the old aesthetic. So when he outgrew his home studio, and stabilising the outer shell.
The interior was another story. “When we moved
buildings, Ryan cites their “eccentric roof it was an obvious progression for Ryan to turn his Extra insulation in the stud wall, floor and
here, it was just a falling down old shed, it had air
pitches” with one open side facing away from the attention to the ramshackle shed in the yard. roof gave the building a thermal rating of around
and water leaking in, it was full of rats and spiders
weather and towards the sun; that they are made While many people would have decided to R3.5, which, Ryan says, makes it warmer on cold
and old junk, and it had a slight lean to one side.
with reused materials – “whatever’s at hand, demolish the shed and start again, Ryan’s mornings than the adjacent house. A new double-
layered claddings patching up worn areas”; and environmental sensibilities, his tastes and interests, When we renovated we totally transformed the glazed window in a recycled timber frame was
the way they tend to grow organically as the needs led him to see the shed’s potential. He set about inside. It still has the slight lean but the inside is inserted into the slightly enlarged opening on the
of the farmer change. He amassed a collection of transforming the shed into his very own “green” completely gutted and relined. Like a building northern side, offering views over the garden and
photographs and says he would one day like to studio and Woodbridge architectural archetype. within a building – an efficient heart in an old skin.” flooding the studio with natural light.

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 Sustainable Footprint
...a program partner in the Federal Government's Green Loans Program
• Undertaking detailed carbon emission, energy and water footprint assessments;
• Educating staff on all aspects of environmental sustainability;
• Retrofit services using sustainable equipment and systems;
• Implementing energy efficiency initiatives and carbon offsets.

The studio boasts low-energy lighting, low-VOC

paint, and Marmoleum flooring in a rich red colour.
“The Marmoleum tiles are easy to lay yourself, so
I did all that, and they are also easier to clean than
carpet, which is great because I am allergic to dust
mites,” Ryan says.
Water is collected off the shed roof for reuse
elsewhere (the property is not connected to mains
water) and Ryan has planted local trees and shrubs,
including tea tree and banksias, around the house
and studio.
Having completed his low-cost “vernacular”
studio, Ryan is now turning his attention to a new
home for his family, which will naturally embody
the same principles. “We like to make beautiful
buildings, which are technically elegant, simple
and ecologically sound,” he says. “This shed reuses
an old beautifully proportioned building to create a
great, comfortable space to work in – and it was
cheaper than building new. It also means I can
work close to where I live, so I don’t have a long
Sustainable Footprint Pty. Ltd. AB
O
LE F OTPR

commute and can spend time with my family.” Level 2, 480 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000.

IN
S U S TAIN

T
RED •
OFFICE: 1300 339 385
email: [email protected] I www.sustainable-footprint.com

TO
CA

•
RBO NI
N MO

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