PART C: DIAGRAMMING - ST LUCIA

Below are the diagram exercises from tutorial 4. The diagrams are placed under their written description.

Environmental Filter

St Lucia House utilises the advantages of trees, using them as a climatic foil. The main Poinciana tree shades both the main living area and the outdoor areas, and also protects the house from direct sunlight in summer, while harnessing the direct sunlight in winter.

The shallow, one room thick plan allows from maximum cross ventilation through the house. This is achieved by high southern windows accompanied with large northern openings, and allows the house to have no artificial cooling or heating.

All rooms in St Lucia house are orientated due north, utilising the sun in winter and the shade in summer. For maximum cross ventilation and air flow through the house, the plan of the house was designed an an open-plan with minimal internal walls.

Container for Human Activities

The ground floor of St Lucia consists of two bedrooms (for the architects two sons) and a bathroom. This was done to give the teenagers their own space in the home. In comparison, the master was positioned about the living space and can either interact with the space or retreat for privacy.

St Lucia has 5 interlocking levels that provide both open spaces and private spaces within the home. These spaces connect and interact in different ways, depending on the use of the space. One example is the "private" office are which is accessible via an open walkway that runs above the main living space.

The landscape of the site plays a vital role in the design and the relationship to human activities. The entrace into the house is via a walkway that passes through the front garden, past the pool. The garden can also be accessed via the stairs from the eastern deck. Ultimately, the design of all spaces in the house and how they are used is related directly to the outdoor space.

Delightful Experience

The main central focus of St Lucia is the Poinciana tree that the house wraps around. At night, the silhouette of this tree creates an extraordinary sight against the "glass box" house behind. This creates the main 'delightful' experience of the house.

St Lucia is concerned with the natural environment, and one of the delightful experiences of this house is the views that the architect has achieved. This is most evident from the main living space and outside, but within the house there are distint lines of sight from each space to the other.