PART A RESEARCH: EXEMPLAR 1 - ST LUCIA HOUSE

Elizabeth Watson-Brown Architects: St Lucia House, 1998

"The history of Queensland architecture is a history of true material minimalism, and this house pays homage to that... Materials and structure operate efficiently, within minimal waste. Applied decoration is eschewed... nature itself provides the delight in the play of light, the rustling of the breeze through the trees, the scent of the flowers." - Elizabeth Waston Brown Architects [1] (Page 175)

St Lucia House, Brisbane

Completed: 1999

Site Area: 400 square metres

Gross Floor Area: 195 square metres

Elizabeth Watson Brown Architects
Elizabeth Watson Brown Architects was established in 1990, beginning as a small, collaborative studio that focused mainly on residential projects. The firm is dedicated to producing high-quality designs that explore appropriate elements of design for subtropical climates, with their designs being noted for blurring the boundaries between the natural landscape and interior spaces. St Lucia house was completed in 1998, and is one of the architects most cherished works, being designed as their own family home, and also being acknowledged by the Royal Australian Institute of Architecture (RAIA). The house won state awards and demonstrates, by minimal means, a pragmatic approach to the requirements needed for comfortable habitation. [1] To achieve this, a variance of scale according to function was employed.

 Front Facade, Day

http://www.elizabethwatsonbrownarchitects.com.au/

House as an Environmental Filter

The design and function of St Lucia house was developed in accordance with the natural surroundings and subtropical climatic functions; with the house demonstrating a zero-emission design. [6] As can be seen in the above image of the front facade of the house and the below floorplan, the design of St Lucia house was centred around the presence of three large trees; a Poinciana tree in the centre of the site, and two mango trees that line the northern boundary. By incorporating these natural restrictions, the house has been constructed with a simple orthogonal plan. [4] These three sculpturally spectacular trees are used by the architect as a climatic foil, with the canopy of greenery shading both the main living area and outdoor areas in the summer, and allowing for maximum direct sunlight into the main living area in winter. The huge, retractable wall that is positioned behind this Poinciana Tree allows for maximum cross ventilation through the shallow, one-room-thick floor plan. [6] This cross ventilation is further enhanced by the presence of minimal interal walls in the house, resulting in an open-plan design that maximises air flow. [5] The relationship between the interior spaces, the landscape and the incorporation of natural light, results in a sensuous engagement with the subtropical climate. All these factors have resulted in a design that contains no artificial cooling or heating, but instead takes advantage of the surrounding climate, producing a sustainable residential design.

 Front Facade, Night

http://www.elizabethwatsonbrownarchitects.com.au/

House as a Delightful Experience

The central idea generating St Lucia House is effectively a giant double-height glazed veranda, which embraces the existing twisting Poinciana Tree in the centre of the site. [2] The Architects are renown for their incorporation of the landscape and the interior space, and this can be seen in the design, with the large double-height northern glass wall framing the central tree, and portraying the it as a public art object. [5] This is further enhanced by night, with the illuminating, glass box creating a dramatic silhouette of the tree against the facade. [1] The plan of the house has been designed in such a way, that from nearly all rooms of the house, a relationship and line of sight has been created with the front garden and the existing trees.

First Floor Plan

Drawn from: Wallace, M and Stutchbury, S. 2008. Placemakers: Contemporary Queensland Architects. Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery

House as a Container for Human Activities

St Lucia house has effectively been zoned into five interlocking levels, with the spaces created by the split levels providing various opportunities for interaction or retreat. [1] This is achieved by the incorporation of large sliding walls, open plan areas and large glass windows that allow for communication between the smaller, more private areas, and the open main areas such as the living room space. These sliding wall panels and open plan not only provide interaction between spaces, but also vent natural light into all areas of the house, as well as providing views to all areas. [2] The main space of St Lucia House is the living space, which is framed by the double-height glass wall and is located on the first level of the house; suspended at canopy level. The ground level is designated space for the architects two teenage sons, containing two bedrooms, a bathroom and a smaller lobby/lounge area. The master bedroom is elevated about the main living space, containing a balcony that both penetrates the living space and extends past the glass wall, creating an interaction into the outside space. [1] These aspects and relationships between space can be seen in the above floorplan, which shows the main, open plan of the first floor.

Neighbourhood Site Plan

Drawn from: Wallace, M and Stutchbury, S. 2008. Placemakers: Contemporary Queensland Architects. Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery

Research

House as an Environmental Filter:

• EWB Architects are dedicated to the exploration and delivery of high-quality, appropriate design for the subtropics. [1]
• St Lucia House is a demonstration of a zero-emission design. [1]
• No artificial cooling or heating is present in the house. The earth-coupled rooms stablise the temperature, and the light-weight structure allows for rapid evening cooling. [1]
• Maximum cross ventilation has been achieved by the incorporation of a huge, retractable wall, the shallow one-room-thick floor plan and by having minimal internal walls. [1]
• The architects have used the presence of three large, fully grown tree, and sculpturally spectacular trees to act as a climatic foil. [1]
• A large Poinciana Tree is located at the centre of the site, with two mango trees being located on the Northerm street boundary of the site. [1]
• By maintaining these trees, they create  canopy of greenery above the outdoor space which also shades the main living area. [1]
• The incorporation of the landscape and natural light, which flourishes inside of the house, allows for sensuous engagement with the subtropical climate. [1]

  House as a Container for Human Activities:

• The house is effectively zoned into 5 interlocking levels, with the central space consisting of a double-height living room, which has a suspended walkway that leads to an open, yet private office. [3]
• The house is designed for both sociability and privacy, with the interlocking levels providing various opportunities for interaction or retreat. [1]
• The master bedroom is elevated above the main living space, and the balustrade of its outdoor deck penetrates the main space. [2]
• The ground floor consists of two bedroom and a bathroom. The house was designed in this way to ensure the architect's teenage sons had their own space within the home. [1]
• Not only do the large sliding wall panels allow for communication between the smaller private areas, such as the master bedroom, with the living spaces, the split levels also bring natural light and views into all areas of the house. [1]
• Suspended at the canopy level is the main living space, which is the core of the house. The north-facing wall of this zone is constructed from huge glazes windows, which can be opened to admit filtered light and breezes. [1]

House as a Delightful Experience:

• The architecture produced by EWB Architects is noted for its ability to blur the boundaries between the landscape and the interior domestic space. [1]
• The house appears to be a large, open box that embraces the twisting Poinciana Tree, treating it as a public art object. [3]
• St Lucia House has been constructed on the southern boundary of the site, allowing for the retention of huge trees for protection, shade, privacy and beauty. [1]
• The sculptural forms of the Poinciana is the central feature of the home, and consume the view from the double-height windows of the main living space. By night, this creates a dramatic silhouette against the illuminated facade. [1]

For original written notes, click on the link below:
Flickr Photos - Research Notes

References:
[1] Wallace, M and Stutchbury, S. 2008. Placemakers: Contemporary Queensland Architects. Brisbane: Queensland Art Gallery
[2] Pieris, A (et al). 2003. Houses for the 21st Century. Sydney: Pesaro Publishing
[3] Patrick Bingham-Hall. 2001. Brisbane, A Short History of Architecture. Inclusing Ipswich and the Sunshine Coast. Sydney: Pesaro Publishing
[4]  Cubes. 2009. Cubes. Space, Furniture, People, Life; This is Design made Accessable. Back to Basics 1 (37): 92-96. http://www.architecture.com.au/i-cms_file?page=12336/Cubes_May_2009001.pdf (accessed 07/03/10)
[5] Skinner, P.R. Reflections on Inside-Outside Space, in Newton. Design + Research; Project based research in architecture. 2nd International Conference of the Australian Association of Schools of Architecture. Melbourne 28-30. September 2003. (http://www.arbld.unimelb.edu.au/events/conference/aasa/papers)
[6]  Skinner, P. 2004. Claims to the significance of the St. Lucia house as design research and contribution to knowledge. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:163464/Claim_SLHouse.pdf (accessed 07/03/10)