- Office: 07 4041 1394
- Email: info@studiomango.com.au
- Location: 457 Draper Street, Parramatta Park, Cairns QLD 4870
Having tried unsuccessfully to buy a house that met their expectations, the clients decided to build. They invited Studio Mango to help select between two sloping sites in Whitfield. This site, while seemingly less spectacular and less private, had much easier access for cheaper building and Studio Mango could see how privacy and views could be achieved.
In function the house meets the needs of a growing family through the use of functional zones and flexible spaces. The client’s brief was to achieve a high level of energy efficiency and sustainability without compromising aesthetic outcomes. This has been achieved with extensive use of natural light and cross-ventilation, as well as appropriate materials and product selection.
Hillslopes development is a vexed issue in Cairns and we were keen to use this opportunity to explore an appropriate form for hillslopes housing. Our aim was to create a house that would appear to sit within the slope line when viewed from the street; and would be barely visible further afield. We wanted a form that grew out of the site, with a small base firmly grounded to the weathered granite slopes, supporting a lightweight upper floor.
A masonry retaining wall was used along the slope, a small lower floor area adjoins this wall and the upper floor floats above. The house is entered from the street by travelling down a path and along a timber bridge. Once inside however an extensive view of Cairns and Trinity Inlet unfolds and it becomes apparent that the house has effectively turned its back on the neighbours to embrace the view and prevailing southerly breezes.
The building concept is an elevated simple rectangular box, not dissimilar to the project homes occupied by many families in sixties Queensland. The rectangle is oriented to the southerly views and breezes. The box is partially enclosed under and is extended with two ‘wedges’, a derivative of lean-to extensions so often added to the sixties box. The wedges provide extra floor area and spatial definition internally, and introduce interesting geometries externally. The two different geometries are rigorously defined externally with the use of different claddings, fibre cement to the box and corrugated iron to the wedges, different roof alignments, and different window types. Internally ceiling heights and treatments change between the two different parts, as do wall colours.
A skillion roof admits high level northern light along the spine of the house and allows hot air to vent, thus creating a convection current for natural cooling. Windows to the north are otherwise kept to a minimum to obscure the neighbouring houses. The living area and every bedroom have windows to the south to maximise access to views and breezes, including large glazed doors between the living and dining areas and the deck.
Floor: Tiled concrete slab on concrete pier footings to ground floors, steel floor frame and timber joists with tongue and groove flooring, hardwood decking
Walls: masonry retaining wall to rear, timber framed walls
Frames: Duragal steel framed columns and floor and roof beams, C150 purlins with hardwood outriggers
Cladding: 6mm battened cement sheet and colorbond corrugated steel
Linings: Flush finished plasterboard, FC to wet areas, wedge ceilings with timber battens
Roofing: Colorbond corrugated roofing, 150 diameter half round gutters
Windows: aluminium framed windows, doors. Jalousie louvres for security and privacy to street, breezeway louvres for views elsewhere.
The house is oriented to the south easterly breezes which sweep through the house. The high level skillion allows hot air to vent out to the west in a natural chimney effect. Air conditioning is rarely needed. The high level skillion also brings in additional natural light. Walls, roofs and floors are all insulated and windows are well shaded.
The client’s average power usage is 12.85 kwhr/day, fluctuating between a low of 10.9 kwhr/day in winter and 14.9 in summer. Even at the highest rating of 14.9, the annual energy consumption of the house is less than 100mJ/square metre, which well exceeds the baseline levels for a five star house.
Timber wall frames were sustainably harvested from the Tablelands and rainwater tanks provide all irrigation needs.
Mango team: Su Groome, James Maude, Glenn Howe
Structural Engineer: CMG
Builder: Len Riley