Design Intent
As the final element to this particular design assignment, the cabin I have to design must subsequently mirror the elements of my chosen exemplar house. In order to do this I have researched Dunbar House by Jennifer Taylor. Through this research I have come across the specific design intentions as specified by Taylor in an interview. With this in mind I have also tried to design a cabin that emanates from the samecore principles which Jennifer Taylor used for Dunbar House which were:
To frame/fabricate architecture that emanates from its place
To create an immersive environment
To create an immersive environment
To challenge the conventional notions of the design of "the house"
To address the very special nature of a "beach house"
To question some conventional wisdoms of construction
(Boddy, 2002)
As an Environmental filter: With the site plan for this cabin facing east, which is the same for its predecessor , it has taken complete advantage of the coveted early morning sun by maximizing its effects through the use of both Northern and Eastern facing clerestory lights on the first half of the house. It is halfway along the house that the journey gets interesting, as it is at this stage of the house that the pitch of the second roof joins the first, in a way so as to offer relief to the main living areas from the relentless afternoon sun from the west. This change in roof pitch not only offers the occupants refuge from the afternoon sun but also, due to its large overhanging eaves, offers protections to the violent summer storms that plague Brisbane from the South West. With all of these elements in mind this house isn’t all just exterior function, but also interior as well so as to meld into itself, creating a place within a space and challenging the notion of the design of a house.
As a delightful experience: now even though this cabin has been designed with the function of spaces a key importance, aesthetically speaking, both interior and exterior alike would not suffer as a result. Whilst keeping the exterior aesthetics simple by sticking to the principles as set by Dunbar House, it brings a certain beach type style with its colourbond cladding and stained timber that seems to suit the surrounding area perfectly. Once inside the house the principle hasn’t changed, with its use of the simplistic materials such as timber and glass, to form the foundation of which the experience has been built so as to draw a more intimate connection between the user and the spaces. In essence this house has created space where the once was none, given birth to a feeling of intimacy with the elements of the house itself , while at the same time not being a house at all but more of an environment that emanates from the site itself.
As an Environmental filter: With the site plan for this cabin facing east, which is the same for its predecessor , it has taken complete advantage of the coveted early morning sun by maximizing its effects through the use of both Northern and Eastern facing clerestory lights on the first half of the house. It is halfway along the house that the journey gets interesting, as it is at this stage of the house that the pitch of the second roof joins the first, in a way so as to offer relief to the main living areas from the relentless afternoon sun from the west. This change in roof pitch not only offers the occupants refuge from the afternoon sun but also, due to its large overhanging eaves, offers protections to the violent summer storms that plague Brisbane from the South West. With all of these elements in mind this house isn’t all just exterior function, but also interior as well so as to meld into itself, creating a place within a space and challenging the notion of the design of a house.
As a container for human activities: After entering through the lower story and ascending the floating timber stair case to the house above, the user is immediately stunned with the amount of open plan space in front of them. Due to its large amount of bi-fold panels the cabin has the ability to allow the users complete flowing access from one space to another, yet at the same time has the ability to rescind that privilege, by closing its doors and thusly creating intimate spaces with specific traditional functions’, pleasing even the most traditionalist of house owners.
As a delightful experience: now even though this cabin has been designed with the function of spaces a key importance, aesthetically speaking, both interior and exterior alike would not suffer as a result. Whilst keeping the exterior aesthetics simple by sticking to the principles as set by Dunbar House, it brings a certain beach type style with its colourbond cladding and stained timber that seems to suit the surrounding area perfectly. Once inside the house the principle hasn’t changed, with its use of the simplistic materials such as timber and glass, to form the foundation of which the experience has been built so as to draw a more intimate connection between the user and the spaces. In essence this house has created space where the once was none, given birth to a feeling of intimacy with the elements of the house itself , while at the same time not being a house at all but more of an environment that emanates from the site itself.Cabin Drawings
