Anchored to the forehead of a hill with spectacular views of coast and panorama, Carrickalinga Shed exemplifies the design evolution of a particular home tailor-made to its occupants and website.
Positioned above the township of Carrickalinga on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, the cleared panorama is dotted with wind-swept shrubs. The neighbour’s cows wander in once in a while to maintain the grass down, however in any other case the property is residence to kangaroos, native birdlife, and the occasional feral sheep or deer. The location affords distant views throughout St Vincent Gulf to Yorke Peninsula, Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. Its publicity to the weather is instantly obvious, and spending time right here means experiencing climate situations that may dramatically change from calm to rugged.
The home has a commanding presence within the panorama. It seems as one thing between an agricultural shed and a bunker, making a putting rectangular silhouette in opposition to the backdrop of sky and sea. It is rather totally different to the consumer’s authentic transient for a 18th-century French farmhouse, the design altering over time in response to the experiences of homeowners Cat and Mick whereas tenting on the uncovered website, and prolonged dialogue with Mladen Zujic of Architects Ink.
The home has a tough exterior and a mushy coronary heart, with an exterior pores and skin that gives a buffer to the tough surroundings (there isn’t a filtering or layering resembling an exterior veranda). The in any other case blunt exterior of galvanised corrugated sheeting is remodeled by the handbook adjustment of commercial sliding panels to disclose fastidiously positioned apertures of high-performance glazing. By adjusting the pores and skin in response to climate and occupation, a completely closed exterior turns into one which opens for views, mild and cross air flow, offering an ever-changing character to the house each intermittently and seasonally. There isn’t any want for an exterior deck when inner areas are simply tailored to develop into sheltered out of doors dwelling rooms.
The mushy coronary heart of the home is the protected courtyard, with landscaping designed by Landskap, subtracted as a sq. from the general type. It options perennial planting, culinary herbs and an olive tree relocated from the property. The courtyard attracts mild into the home and acts as each connector and refuge. An encircling low veranda supplies entry to totally different components of the constructing, but additionally permits for the separation of capabilities and occupants, significantly when company are staying. Axial views throughout the courtyard hyperlink areas and proceed to the surface. The courtyard is the place the preliminary thought of the farmhouse turns into obvious – the normal dwelling area surrounded by the veranda is inverted, in order that the veranda is internalised – an Australian homestead turned inside out. The essence of an early donut-shaped sketch design remains to be evident, and the architects additionally level to a different precedent: the Roman courtyard villa with fortified exterior. All these concepts and iterations have developed and are available collectively as a coherent and extremely crafted residence.
The home displays the personalities of Cat and Mick, and it’s the place the place their seven youngsters, 5 grandchildren, prolonged households and pals collect and keep below a vivid evening sky. It’s each a spot for coming collectively and a retreat. It feels beneficiant despite the fact that the precise constructed footprint is smaller than anticipated, a results of resolved planning, interconnection of area and minimal inner circulation. The repetition of components and pragmatic order of the design allowed the construct to be challenge managed and partly constructed by the homeowners, and the flexibleness of the structure factors to future adaptability, with some rooms already altering operate as the house is lived in. Know-how is integrated for self-sufficiency and off-grid dwelling, with a major photovoltaic array offering energy to deal with and automobile, an inner sprinkler system put in for hearth safety, rainwater harvested and saved within the cellar, and underfloor hydronic cooling and heating.
Supplies are chosen for his or her performance (or ‘indestructability’ as s Cat says, smiling at Mick), and a detailed consideration of environmental impression and long-term upkeep. Whereas the exterior corrugated sheeting supplies a rural familiarity, the backyard veranda is lined in reconstituted timber siding painted black, as if charred. Inside finishes comprise stainless-steel benches, painted plaster, uncovered concrete, plywood joinery and tiled dado. The detailing is fastidiously thought of, sincere and right down to earth, as is the gathering of dwelling gadgets, which incorporates a lot cherished heirloom furnishings and books. It’s an eclectic assortment reflecting the lives of the homeowners, one that’s deeply private and significant, emphasising that this house is a recent nod to custom and resolutely of its place.
