The Stack House

This new home is envisaged as a series of “stacks” mimicking those of the beach below, rising out of the escarpment. Whilst singular in nature, they similarly appear to have been weathered over time – staggered and cut tops, deep recesses and undercuts. The silhouette of the forms expressed either from the east or west or directly below defines the architectural form and in turn apprises the internal programme.

The home consists of 9 stacks, all wrapped in an innovative rainscreen cladding system, utilising external bricks slips (front faces of bricks) held in a metal frame over a rigid insulation barrier. This system allows the outer skin of the building to breathe, whilst providing a light weight durable maintenance free exterior to the home. Deep recesses house large double glazed window units, carefully placed in the overall composition to create plays of light and dark. The windows sit below projecting sun-hoods, accurately designed to maximise deep winter sun access whilst protecting from the midday heat of summer. Windows and side projecting privacy screens assure privacy to the occupants within whilst maintaining privacy to the neighbours beyond.

The wall system is supported over a timber substructure created from Cross Laminated Timber Panels (CLT) combined with glulam timber beams. These locally manufactured wall panels and beams are created from Eucalypt Nitens – a hardwood species previously grown for paper pulp. The timber material is the finished product, with the house interiors also informed by the strength of the other raw materials used in the construction process.