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TRIAS Project-Brochure-Residential

This document provides information about three residential projects designed by an architecture firm: Curl Curl House, Draped House, and Three Piece House. It includes details about each project such as location, status, designers involved, sustainability features, floor plans, and photographs showcasing design elements. The document uses images and text to showcase three new family homes of varying sizes located in coastal or suburban areas of Sydney, Australia.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
473 views52 pages

TRIAS Project-Brochure-Residential

This document provides information about three residential projects designed by an architecture firm: Curl Curl House, Draped House, and Three Piece House. It includes details about each project such as location, status, designers involved, sustainability features, floor plans, and photographs showcasing design elements. The document uses images and text to showcase three new family homes of varying sizes located in coastal or suburban areas of Sydney, Australia.

Uploaded by

fibobody
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 52

Contents

New Builds Alterations and Additions Small Projects About

1 1 1
Curl Curl House Hidden Garden House Slate Cabin Awards

2 2 2
Draped House Paddington House Minima Contact

3 3
Three Piece House Hinterland House

4
Windward
New Builds

4|5
Curl Curl House

Curl Curl House was designed for an introverted family, who


sought a home that would feel protective, reclusive, and quiet.
They prioritised quality, longevity, and durability.

In our early conversations, they described a rhythm where


they would return home each night, unlock the front gate,
and emerge in a garden. Their home was envisaged as a place
to slow down and shed the bustle of daily life.

The project was inspired by time spent in Mexico City. We


were drawn to a city where houses were hidden behind
walls, creating private oases within. Throughout the streets,
defensive perimeters were softened by trees and rambling
plants. The result was a city where homes felt secluded, yet
still offered intrigue to passers-by.

Project details

Type: New build


Location: Curl Curl, NSW
Status: Completed (2021)

Landscape designer: Lindy Hulton Larsen


Interior designer: Folk Studio
Builder: Avalon Construction
Structural engineer: SDA Structures

6|7
A world away, we saw a parallel in our client’s desire for
sanctuary and solitude in the suburbs. The site, a corner lot,
has neighbouring houses and a school adjacent, and hence
seeks privacy.

Curl Curl House is a walled garden house. In its context, it


feels calm, confident, and quiet. Its twin sentinels sit behind
their boundary wall, peering above the fence and visible
between green.

The house is composed of two brick towers, linked by a low


pavilion. Lower lying green roofs above the kitchen/dining
and carport areas are lush with vegetation, and work to unify
the two towers. The kitchen and dining area - bordered by
sliding doors, which disappear away - feels immersed in the
garden.

The building footprint shifts towards the neighbours, creating


a long, sun-drenched garden: a street-facing backyard and
pool. For a family home, the footprint is modest, resulting in
less home and more garden.

10 | 11
First floor plan

GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1:150@A3

Ground floor plan

0 1 2 4

0 0.5 1 2

1:50

0 1 2 4

1:100

0 1 2 4

1:150
12 | 13

0 2 4 8
The plan relies on simple strategies: downstairs is for
congregation, while upstairs is private. Within each tower,
parents and kids enjoy some separation.

To evoke heft, the house is built from thickened brick walls.


These are punctured with openings that conceal blinds,
sliding doors and timber screens. Hit and miss brickwork
is also used to further erode at these monumental volumes,
creating a poetic play of light inside.

The materials used at Curl Curl House form a fresh take


on the typical beach house. The towers are crafted with
handmade brick, carefully sponged to appear chalky.
Elsewhere, a combination of concrete, recycled hardwood,
brass, and sandstone feels coastal without becoming clichéd.

14 | 15 Physical model
Our sustainability approach for this project focused on
longevity. We integrated passive design and committed to
carbon neutral operations.

The home is all electric and runs off a heat pump, meaning
its heating and cooling, hot water, and pool heating are all
solar-powered. Underfloor hydronics make use of the home’s
thermal mass and regulate temperatures year-round.

16 | 17
Curl Curl House references a far-flung city to create a mature
and understated home. The design elegantly reconciles
two common contexts found in Sydney: the brick suburbs
and the coast. The result is a relaxed yet ambitious work of
architecture that aspires to timelessness.

18 | 19
Draped House

Draped House is a small, simple home, designed for a couple


looking to live and work peacefully amidst the trees.

Defined by its gracefully curving roof and central courtyard,


the house fosters considered and dynamic relationships with
its gently sloping site, looking both inward and out.

It is a modest home that embraces the romance of living in


Sydney’s leafy suburbs.

Project details

Type: New build


Location: Chatswood, NSW
Status: Completed (2022)
Builder: Arc Projects
Structural engineer: SDA Structures

20 | 21
Located within a typical suburban neighbourhood, our site
is surrounded by family homes and generous backyards.
The battleaxe block is dotted with gum trees - the most
regal of which, a towering scribbly gum, acts as the home’s
centrepiece.

To create a sense of a house in a garden, the volume is placed


in a broad clearing on the site, allowing all of the existing
trees, bar one, to be retained. Working with the block’s
natural levels, the house steps its way down the sloping site,
creating gently stepped edges along the garden’s edge.

The resulting place is one that celebrates a quiet life within


nature, while remaining surprisingly close to its neighbours.

22 | 23 Floor plan
Draped House uses a contemporary palette, inspired by the
remnant scribbly gums found on site. A combination of grey
and neutral tones are softened by warmer timbers.

The curved façades are clad in compressed fibre cement, a


robust yet quiet material that acts as a muted surface that
showcases shadows, sunlight and greenery. Meanwhile,
recycled Australian hardwood can be seen in the delicate
sliding screens, inner courtyard wall, and occasionally
expressed structure.

A base of concrete and sandstone anchors the home to its site,


and introduces vital thermal mass, which stabilises internal
temperatures.

Materials and finishes

Western facade (right)


Material palette (below)

24 | 25
The towering scribbly gum plays a consistent role in unifying
Draped House. Sitting at the heart of the plan, it both centres,
and is centred by, the home.

Upon opening the front door, visitors are immediately


greeted by the twisting boughs of this towering tree. Then,
from this central entry space, the house is divided into two
main wings: living areas in a slender wing to the south, and
sleeping areas in a wing to the north. This clustering of thin
rooms gives all of the spaces access to natural light, green
outlook and good airflow - staples for any healthy home.

By stepping down with the natural fall of the site, the building
provides places to perch and work: a seat becomes a study, or
a step into the garden becomes a place for a cup of tea.

A gentle curve & exposed structure

26 | 27
In an effort to keep our green suburbs green, we designed
Draped House with a number of sustainability principles in
mind. Time honoured passive design tools, such as rainwater
harvesting, the utilisation of thermal mass, and cross and
stack ventilation, influenced every aspect of the design -
from the careful planning of spaces and openings, to the
triumphant and responsive roof form.

These tried and tested techniques were used alongside more


modern technologies to reduce the home’s operational
impact on the environment, including: 5kW of photovoltaic
panels to harvest enough energy for all the household needs,
full electrification of all major systems to further reduce
the home’s ongoing fossil fuel use, and 10,000L of slimline
water tanks which can provide the home with its water
requirements both indoors and out.

Draped House serves as a reminder that the suburban home


doesn’t need to extend to the boundary of its lot. In fact, a
small house in a large garden - building ‘less but better’ - can
be far more compelling.

28 | 29 A hidden bath
Three Piece House

Three Piece House is a courtyard house, designed for a couple


looking to downsize and live more simply.

The project clusters a modest, single-storey house, a self


contained studio, and a series of distinctive courtyards on its
site, generating a new neighbourhood condition that is small
and dense.

With the house measuring 114m2, and the studio just


22m2, Three Piece House it is a testament to small living in
suburbia.

Project details

Type: New build


Location: Stockton, NSW
Status: Completed (2018)

Builder: GTS Constructions


Structural Engineer: Northrop

30 | 31
THREE PIECE HOUSE PLAN

The site is defined by a distinctive wedge shape, with close


neighbours on two sides. A further challenge came in the
form of a flood control, which required the building to be
raised 1.5m above ground.

In contrast to a conventional architectural response – which


might lift the house up on stilts - Three Piece House is placed
on a solid brick base. This elevates the building above the
flood plain and lends it an unexpected feeling of heft and
permanence. The resulting place feels anchored, despite being
battered by coastal weather.

0 1 2 4

32 | 33 Floor plan
This design approach was inspired by Jørn Utzon’s text,
‘Platforms and Plateaus,’ and the architect’s courtyard houses.
Three Piece House appropriates this strategy for an Australian
setting, using brick platforms to mediate between house and
ground.

Three Piece House uses the full extent of its site, encouraging
life to take place within, between and beyond the building.
Courtyards and gardens ramble between the pavilions, which
are unified by their brick base. The scale of this platform is
further broken down by brick steps, seating edges and planter
beds lush with native plants.

Moving inside, the architectural arrangement is simple yet


dynamic. The main house is composed of two pavilions - one
for living, and one for sleeping. A reading corridor, which
bridges between, faces out to the garden and, in winter, is
bathed in northern sun. The brick paving continues through
this space, unifying inside and out.

The studio, meanwhile, sits as a discrete, and yet related,


volume in the garden. It provides accommodation for visiting
friends, family and guests.

34 | 35 Crafted steps and edges


The materiality of Three Piece House is robust and resilient,
as befits a windswept, coastal site. The textures and tones
of the house are raw and rugged, and in the spirit of ‘less
but better’, have been deliberately chosen to become more
beautiful as they age.

The skillion forms are clad in a radially-sawn Silvertop Ash,


which will grey over time. This resource-conscious product
uses felled timber as efficiently as possible, minimising
wastage and celebrating the timber’s rough grain.

Meanwhile, the solid masonry base is rendered in earthen-


red tones that are colour-matched to the recycled brick
paving and the rusted reds of passing ships. Sourced on-site,
the bricks that make up this platform were re-purposed from
the site’s existing but dilapidated 1940’s bungalow.

These bricks reappear throughout the interior, emerging as an


anchored island bench and a fireplace hearth.

This approach is both inherently sustainable, and an act of


storytelling: the new home sits upon the bones of the building
before it. Philosophically, the gesture speaks of use and re-
use; poetry and memory.

Materials and finishes

Eastern facade (right)


Material palette (right)
Brick plinth in the northern
courtyard (below)

36 | 37
Within Three Piece House, the rooms maintain a compact
footprint that is balanced by generous ceilings and carefully
cropped openings. Corners peel back to reveal greenery and
views, while high windows exhale air and offer slivers of sun
and sky. These openings allow light to creep across walls and
floors in animated paths – a daily testament to time passing.

Elsewhere, the house embraces the prosaic beauty of its


suburb, framing vignettes of the river and neighbouring
streets.

Main living space

Salvaged pendant light (left)


Corner window (right)

38 | 39
Pursuing a number of sustainability principles, the house
employs cross and stack ventilation, thermal mass, water and
solar harvesting, and eroded eaves, which provide shade. It
can be tweaked and adjusted to suit the prevailing season and
weather.

In summer, the house is cooled by ocean breezes, and the


courtyard will be covered by deciduous vines. In winter, a
fireplace warms the living pavilion, while the brick corridor
soaks up sun.

These simple and time-honoured approaches to sustainability


highlight the clarity of Three Piece House, rendering it a
distinctive piece of architecture, that is at once crafted and
unpretentious.

40 | 41
Alterations and Additions

42 | 43
Hidden Garden House

Our clients, Laura and Aman, are a young couple who both
work in design fields. As people, they are creative, gentle and
generous.

When we first met, Laura and Aman spoke of their love of


Japanese architecture, which they appreciate for its simplicity,
beauty and timelessness. They also believe in quiet design:
in the type of object, or space, that is considered, and yet
welcoming.

Their site is a tiny terrace, found in the back streets of


Darlinghurst, which - although sweet - was dark and
dilapidated. Their brief asked for an improved one bedroom,
one bathroom home. As is common with old terraces, they
sought more natural light, better airflow, and privacy.

They hoped for a home composed of careful, minimal spaces,


which would be small but thoughtfully formed.

Project details Sketch perspective

Type: Alterations and additions View of the courtyard and


Location: Darlinghurst, NSW kitchen/dining area
Status: Completed (2021)

Builder: Zandt Building


Structural engineer: SDA Structures

44 | 45
46 | 47
GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1:50@A3 FIRST FLOOR PLAN 1:50@A3

Hidden Garden House is inspired by time spent elsewhere:


the idea of a ‘hidden garden’ was inspired by Japanese
temples, whose gardens provide unexpected sanctuary in
dense urban environments. To introduce light and greenery,
our diagram carves a courtyard from its site. This ‘hidden
garden’ provides a portal to the seasons, and a green space
that our clients can enjoy as they eat, live, work and play.

One half of the home is a heritage terrace; the other a new


addition. Downstairs now contains the main living, cooking,
and eating spaces, while sleeping and bathing reside upstairs.
The stair sleeves along the eastern boundary, holding storage
and a laundry.

On the ground floor, steps and thresholds define the


rooms, which wrap around a courtyard. Edges are used as
seats, steps and transitions between inside and out. Openings
slide or pivot open, bringing the outside in and borrowing
nearby views.

Upstairs, the spaces become one room, separated by timber-


lined cupboards rather than walls. This creates the illusion of
space within a very small footprint. The bathroom is
envisaged as a ‘bathing room,’ with washing and showering
ritualised.

A rooftop garden crowns the new addition, meaning much of


the site will be swathed in green.

Ground floor plan First floor plan

0 0.5 1 2 0 0.5 1 2

48 | 49
0 0.5 1 2 0 0.5 1 2

1:50 1:50

0 1 2 4 0 1 2 4
This house has a distinctive hand-hewn quality. At our first
meeting, we naively suggested that Laura, a ceramicist, make
tiles for the house. Remarkably, she began prototyping. The
terracotta floor tiles, and the glimmering white tiles rimming
the lightwell, showcase her handiwork. Elsewhere, bagged
brickwork and timber cabinetry provide a neutral backdrop
for the more haptic, handmade materials to shine.

Pictured here are some early prototypes of Laura’s handmade


terracotta tiles, which were used as part of the material
palette throughout the build. These prototypes speak of the
experimental spirit that underpinned this highly collaborative
project.

Tile prototypes (above)


Material palette (above)
Long section (right)

50 | 51
One of the most overlooked methods of building sustainably
is simply building less. The compact nature of the site (at just
45m2) presented a perfect reason to test this method, in the
hope of achieving comfort and joy, while embracing the spirit
of ‘less but better’.

This inherently sustainable philosophy informed even the


smallest scale of the design, as seen in the emphasis on high
quality materials and fittings. Our ceramicist client Laura
contributed to this by producing handmade tiles to be used
throughout the build. Sandstone steps were also salvaged
from site during demolition.

Carving out the site’s centre with a garden also fosters


longevity - not only in the building, but in the environment
that envelops it. Increased access to natural light and airflow
in every room makes for a healthier home. At the same time,
careful planting in the gardens helps support native birds and
bees, which helps our ecosystems.

Above all, Hidden Garden House is an embodiment of our


clients’ values. It emblemises their commitment to good
design, celebrates their idiosyncrasies, and showcases their
authentic, hand-hewn efforts, now elegantly on display on
their walls and floors.

Physical model

52 | 53
54 | 55
Paddington House

This project re-imagines a terrace house located in the


leafy suburb of Paddington.

Our clients are a young and energetic pair who were


recently joined by a delightful newborn. This project gave
them - and us - an opportunity to reconfigure this terrace
for family life.

Their brief wished for a house that felt warm, light,


open and homely. Aesthetics aside, they also wanted
their terrace house to perform better: to be more open
in summer, more cosy in winter, and more practical year
round.

Project details

Type: Alterations and additions


Location: Paddington, NSW
Status: Completed (2022)

Builder: Arc Projects


Structural engineer:  SDA Structures

56 | 57
Attic Floor - Study

0 0.5 1 2
0 0.5 1 2
1:50
First Floor - Bedroom

0 1 2 4
1:100
0 1 2 4
1:150
0 2 4 8
1:200
0 0.5 1 2
0 0.5 1 2
1:50
0 1 2 4
1:100
0 1 2 4
1:150
0 2 4 8
1:200

Ground Floor - Kitchen/Dining


0 0.5 1 2

Basement Floor - Living Room


0 0.5 1 2
1:50
0 1 2 4
1:100
0 1 2 4
1:150
0 2 4 8
1:200

58 | 59
This design involves a series of delicate manoeuvres which,
together, transform the home. To respect the original
terrace, our new works are forensic, elegant and ornate.

Front rooms remain as they are - characterful and


charming - while rear rooms are reconstructed, opening out
to a northern courtyard garden and neighbouring trees.

The heart of the building is carved out, with a new,


winding staircase lit from above. The central rooms are
reinvigorated with new layouts and fresh, tactile materials.

60 | 61
In response to the rear courtyard, the northern facade is
eroded by a carefully crafted screen. Made up of three different
modules, a dynamic effect is created through the considered
arrangement of otherwise standardised and repeatable parts.
This dematerialised wall becomes a new means of controlling
atmosphere and climate, by welcoming sunlight and air inside.

62 | 63
64 | 65
The masonry core of the house - and its inherent thermal
mass - presented a great opportunity for passive design
principles to be incorporated into the build. Passive means of
heating and cooling the house are aided by cross ventilation
and a stack effect - made possible by an opening at the top of
the four storey stairwell.

The core also assists in the radiant heating of the terrace, via
an underfloor system that spreads warm air throughout the
home. This system is powered by a 1kW photovoltaic system
installed on the roof and reduces the need for more energy-
intensive bar heaters or air conditioning.

Finally, the house was upgraded with double glazing in


all new windows, with the seals in the existing openings
repaired. This solved issues that made the house draughty and
cold in winter.

Paddington House preserves and rejuvenates this heritage


home, at the same time, undertaking a series of careful
manoeuvres which help it to perform better for its young
inhabitants.

66 | 67 Physical model
Hinterland House

Hinterland House, as a project, is intended to celebrate an


1880’s Queenslander in all of its glory.

Much of the design - including the entry sequence, planning


and future building form - is arranged to emphasise this
unpretentious Queenslander and encourage the new works to
recede.

Project details

Type: Alterations and additions


Location: Byron Hinterland, NSW
Status: In progress

Structural engineer: Westera Partners

68 | 69
Abundant with trees at its entrance, the site gently falls
toward the north-east as it broadens and becomes more
pastoral. In an effort to engage with this site in a considered
manner - and maintain complimentary relationships between
old and new - the home is fragmented into a three part
composition, offering distinctive experiences of the varied
landscape.

The careful entry sequence reinforces this composition,


drawing visitors into the home through a courtyard. Walking
down the entry path, a long courtyard wall blocks views
of the addition, with only the roof visible and hovering
above. Entry then takes place on the informal yet sheltered
verandah, where visitors can kick off muddy boots and drop
their rain jackets, before proceeding inside.

Existing Queenslander (above)


Site plan (right)

0 10 20 40

70 | 71

0 10 20 40
The Queenslander’s language of rhythmic, light timber
columns is modified to become thicker blade walls in
the new building. Likewise, the light, suspended form of
the Queenslander is counterbalanced by a heavier, more
grounded new addition. In this way, the two buildings speak
to one another, yet remain distinctive: one light, one heavy;
one on stilts, and one anchored to the earth.

An essential part of the Queenslander - the verandah - then


ties the two parts of the home together. Stretching through
both buildings like a ribbon, this processional element winds
between the spaces, unifying the transition between old and
new.

Across the house, a rustic and yet fresh palette of Australian


timbers, handmade bricks and white walls is applied.

Physical model (above)


Floor plan (right)

0 2 4 8

72 | 73
This project reminds us of the magic and relevance of the
architecture we already have: in our own homes, our familiar
buildings, our vernacular. It is not a nostalgic gesture, but an
exercise in looking back, as a means of moving forward.

0 1 2 4

74 | 75
Windward House

Windward House retains and reinterprets a dilapidated 1960’s


home in Sydney’s northern suburbs, understanding that, as
architects, it is the single most sustainable thing we can do.

Defined by an internal courtyard, carved from the centre of


the existing building, the new house prioritises light, air and
greenery. Broad balconies look out into the tree canopy and
are bathed in northern sun.

Project details

Type: Alts and adds


Location: Mosman, NSW
Status: Under construction

Builder: Arc Projects


Structural engineer: SDA Structures

76 | 77
WINWARD HOUSE SF PLAN

By stripping the existing building back to its core elements


- to its four perimeter walls, and floor plates - we were
able to transform the interior layout of the rooms. Rather
than retaining odd walls and corridors, the floor plan is
reconfigured into a series of quadrants, all oriented around a
shared courtyard.

WINWARD HOUSE FF PLAN

Second Floor
WINWARD HOUSE GF PLAN

0 1 2 4

First Floor

0 1 2 4

78 | 79 Ground Floor
WINWARD HOUSE SECTION

To better connect the levels, the design relies on a new stair,


which sits within the central courtyard. This leads movement
from the upstairs levels, down through the courtyard, and
then further below to the garden.

The stacked nature of the home also affords a more seasonal


approach to living; upper living areas connect to the sun and
tree canopy in winter, while those lower down extend into
the garden, sheltered by shade in the summer. The sleeping
spaces, meanwhile, sit in between.

Open and flexible

Upper living/dining area (above)


Section (right)
0 1 2 4

80 | 81
Windward House embraces the inherently sustainable
act of retaining the existing building. This greatly reduces
the embodied carbon of the overall project by keeping
considerable amounts of existing structure.

Passive designed principles are employed throughout the


design. Acting like a set of lungs, the courtyard allows breezes
to flow inside via effective cross and stack ventilation, in turn,
reducing the need for active cooling methods. It also draws
softer light into the depths of the existing floor plan, making
it more bright and open. Elsewhere, up-specd insulation,
double glazing and passively shaded openings help control
seasonal temperature variations.

Passive principles aside, the home uses a range of progressive


sustainability systems, including underfloor hydronic heating
and chilled ceiling panels. As with most of our projects, the
home will be all electric and operationally carbon neutral,
with a substantial solar PV system on its roof.

Windward House is a future-conscious building that, at the


same time, keeps the memory of its past near.

82 | 83
Small Projects

84 | 85
Slate Cabin

Slate Cabin is a writer’s retreat perched on the edge of


Snowdonia National Park in Mid Wales. The building is set in
a lush green valley that is ringed by barren, windswept hills
and grazing pastures.

In response to this beautiful and yet harsh landscape, the


cabin is a reductive black box that is anchored to the ground.
It provides protection and respite to visitors who wish to
escape the wind, rain and snow.

Slate Cabin is inspired by the very bedrock of Wales, a


country built on - and of - slate. Wales is a unique landscape,
scattered with stone-strewn mountains, abandoned quarries
and old slate homes, which have stood for hundreds of years.
These qualities encouraged us to base our design around this
local and historically significant material.

The exterior of the cabin is covered in local stone, which is


fixed to the building like oversized shingles. These recycled
slate tiles were reclaimed from nearby farms, and are mottled
and pockmarked with weather and time. They result in a
building that is at home in the hills, with a rugged and rustic
appearance.

Project details

Type:Cabin
Location: Snowdonia National Park, Wales UK
Status: Completed (2018)

Builder: RBW Carpentry

86 | 87
In essence, the building is a simple, rectangular volume. The
exterior is dark and muted, with a contrasting interior that
is honeyed and warm. The proportions of the building are
elegant and restrained, while still meeting the tight footprint
required by the design brief.

Moving inside the cabin, one is welcomed by a light, bright


interior space. The spatial organisation is simple, with a single
room for essential activities - sleeping, cooking, resting and
relaxing - and a bathroom tucked behind.

The main room is designed as a crafted piece of joinery.


Subtle shifts and steps are used to differentiate between
functions, creating rooms within a larger volume.

The bed sits up on a raised platform, and pulls back at one


end to provide space for a seat and desk. The bed head,
meanwhile, wraps around to house a built in seat and table.
This acts as a cosy place to share meals, which can be cooked
on a small, wood-burning stove tucked in one corner.

Elsewhere, storage and shelves are artfully integrated into the


building design. Every millimetre of the cabin is meticulously
designed and put to use. Stairs to the bed platform become
a space to store books and shoes, while a shelf above the
bathroom acts as a slot for stashing hiking packs. The space is
a continuous balance of efficiency and comfort. All services
are self-contained, which means that the cabin operates off-
the-grid.

2
1
0.5
0

88 | 89
Throughout the cabin, openings are carefully considered
to capture small vignettes and views. Along one wall, a slot
window frames a long, panoramic landscape of mountains
and fields. It’s a view best experienced when sitting or lying
down.

Meanwhile, a continuous lantern of high windows bathe the


space in natural light. Glancing up to these windows reveals
glimpses of passing clouds, distant hills and spindly, swaying
branches.

To create a serene experience, the cabin is built of as


few materials as possible. Soft, gentle tones and textures
intentionally contrast the stark stone exterior.

All of the surfaces and joinery are lined in birch plywood,


which softly diffuses the light. The ceilings are draped in
a woven hessian, a playful reference to the rural context.
The wood-burning stove is a standout object, and is crisply
outlined in a punchy, contrasting black steel.

Slate Cabin is a place of quiet retreat, where people might go


to read, write and relax. As a space, it forms a place where
nature can be viewed and contemplated.

This design was commissioned as a result of an international


competition process, with construction completed in 2017.

90 | 91
Minima

Minima is a cleverly compact and crafted small footprint


home: a ‘tiny house’, rural retreat, suburban studio or
backyard room. Various ‘versions’ of Minima have been
designed, so that it can configured as a mini apartment,
studio or home office. A double module version, which is
arranged as a T-shaped compact house, expands to include
one or two bedrooms, living and dining areas, a kitchen, and
a bathroom.

The design of Minima is simple, elegant and functional. Its


inherent flexibility means Minima can find a home in an
infinite number of gardens, backyards and rural properties.
This is intentional, as we see Minima as part of a broader
vision to offer architecturally-designed homes to more
people.

The original Minima embodies compact living at its best.


Within a small footprint, it stitches in a kitchen, bathroom,
and flexible living and sleeping spaces. Minima can be
entered from two points, with wide doors to one side and
a smaller access door to the other. The main set of doors
stack back entirely, making the central room feel generously
connected to the outdoors.

Project details

Type: Small Home


Location:NSW
Status: Completed (2020)

Builder:FabPreFab

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To achieve a streamlined space, the design relies on a series
of ‘zones’ and plenty of storage. Built-in cupboards, shelves
and drawers are wrapped around the edge of the room,
creating an open and flexible space in the centre. The wet
areas – including the kitchen - are clustered to one side, with
the bathroom tucked behind the kitchen wall. This ensures
that Minima is made with a home for everything, all within a
deceptively small footprint.

Sustainable design and fabrication are fundamental to


Fabprefab’s mission, and to the design of Minima. It is a well-
known fact that the construction sector is a major contributor
to carbon emissions worldwide. Minima is at the forefront of
proposing a more sustainable mode of living within its small
footprint design. The compact nature of Minima supports low
impact living in a variety of settings. This has the dual benefit
of being environmentally friendly and economically sound.

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Minima is also a staunchly high-quality home. It uses its
resources with great care and consideration, to promote the
idea that our dwellings are for long-term joy and enrichment,
rather than short-term disposability.

Minima is made from cross laminated timber (CLT),


a renewable and highly sustainable building material.
The technique of ‘cross laminating’ the panels gives each
component greater structural strength and integrity. It also
allows manufacturers to rely on fast-growth timbers, a
process which helps with carbon capture and sequestration.

At Minima, CLT panels form the walls, floor and roof of each
structure. This also creates a stunning interior experience.
The natural timber finish that lines each Minima creates a
warm, welcoming and healthy environment for a range of
uses.

Cross laminated timber is also ideal for prefabrication.


The benefits of prefabrication are numerous, and include
substantially shorter construction times, less work in a
building’s foundations, and far less wastage. Combine this
with a renewable resource - in the choice of timber - and
CLT becomes a considerably more environmentally friendly
building material than conventional brick, steel or concrete.

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Awards

House Under 200sqm - Alterations and Additions Award Shortlisted Hidden Garden House 2022 Event Category Winner Four Periscopes 2018
Houses Awards (Houses Magazine) IDEA Awards

House in a Heritage Context Award Shortlisted Hidden Garden House 2022 National Emerging Practice Prize Commendation TRIAS 2018
Houses Awards (Houses Magazine) Houses Awards (Houses Magazine)

House Under 200sqm - Alterations and Additions Award Shortlisted Paddington House 2022 Housing (New House Under 200m2) Award Shortlisted Three Piece House 2018
Houses Awards (Houses Magazine) Houses Awards (Houses Magazine)

House in a Heritage Context Award Shortlisted Paddington House 2022 National Emerging Practice Prize Shortlisted TRIAS 2018
Houses Awards (Houses Magazine) Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA)

NSW AIA Sustainability Award Shortlisted Curl Curl House 2022 Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory Selected TRIAS 2017
Wallpaper Magazine
NSW AIA Architecture Award (Residential - New) Shortlisted Curl Curl House 2022
Annual Architecture Commission Shortlisted Drawing Water 2019
NSW AIA Architecture Award (Residential - Alts + Adds) Shortlisted Hidden Garden House 2022 National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)

Sustainability Awards Finalist TRIAS 2021 Annual Architecture Commission Winner Four Periscopes 2018
Emerging Sustainable Architect / Designer Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS)

Sustainability Award Commendation Minima 2021 Density and Diversity Done Well Winner Dappled Dwellings 2018
Houses Awards (Houses Magazine) Queensland State Government

NSW AIA Sustainability Award Commendation Minima 2021 Missing Middle Design Competition Runner Up Half a House 2018
New South Wales State Government
The Design Files Sustainable Design Award Shortlisted Three Piece House 2019
Welsh Tourism Cabins Winner Slate Cabin 2017
Newcastle AIA Sustainability Award Winner Three Piece House 2018 Tourism Wales

Newcastle AIA Architecture Award Commendation Three Piece House 2018 Iceland Trekking Cabins Runner Up Heima 2016
Iceland Tourism
NSW AIA Architecture Award (Residential - New) Winner Three Piece House 2018
My Ideal House Competition Runner Up Ideal House 2016

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Contact

Trias People

[email protected] Jennifer McMaster Casey Bryant Jonathon Donnelly

www.trias.com.au

@trias.studio

3 Blackfriars Street Nominated Architect Nominated Architect


Chippendale, nsw nsw: 10693 nsw: 9652
Australia, 2010 vic: 18129

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