Elysium 170: attention to detail in a residential prototype

In their plans for homes in a new housing development in the town of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, the architects of Richard Kirk Architect intentionally limited their choice of building materials.

This apparent limitation is the source of the constructions’ true fascination. In one two-floor home set in the context of a 189 unit development, the transition between inside and outside is fluid, but marked by screens made out of strips of wood which filter light and underline the building’s link with its surroundings.

The fact that various materials are left untreated, such as the rough wood left to age naturally or oxidised zinc, ensures that these materials will continue to “work”, changing their appearance with the passage of time so that the building fits naturally into its heterogeneous surroundings.

The other 5 homes designed by Richard Kirk Architect in Elysium also pick up on the theme of wooden screens, but play around with different interpretations of patterns. The “peekaboo” theme has never lost its appeal for the child within us, still amazed at solutions with a high visual impact, in this case with an eye to use of sustainable materials.


Design: Richard Kirk Architect, http://www.richardkirkarchitect.com/, Twitter: @RichardKirkArch
Structural & Civil Engineers: Bornhorst & Ward

Hydraulic & Mechanical Engineers: Cooper & Associates
Location: Noosa, Queensland, Australia
Year: 2008
Photographs: Scott Burrows
Related links: http://www.floornature.com/blog/environmental-and-social-sustainability-in-brisbane-7859/

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