Johanna House
JOHANNA HOUSE
Nicholas Burns
ARCHITECTS
Nicholas Burns
YEAR
2008
LOACATION
Johanna, Australia
CATEGORY
Houses
Text description provided by architect.
SITE
Secluded 100 acres of pristine bush containing environmentally significant and endangered ecological classes adjoining the National Park.
CONCEPT
A discrete addition to the landscape, a journey of gradual and layered concealment, opening landscape and ocean. Contrast; contraction/expansion, heavy/light, opaque/transparent....inside-outside-inside.
Pure geometry, limited material palette and detailing create a stillness, a dematerialising interconnection with nature, landscape and time creating place and present focus.
CLIMATE
Latitude of 38˚46˝, 400m from the Bass Strait (Temperature range 12-18˚C). The proximity to the ocean ameliorates the diurnal temperatures and evens out the highest and lowest to a range by approximately 10˚C to 13-34˚C.
Wind speed is common in winter to 60 knots. Precipitation is high for Victoria due to the proximity of the cool temperate rainforest of the Otway Ranges.
LANDSCAPE
No outside material imported onto site to prevent invasion of non-indigenous species on the property and adjoining national park. The house is sited on an existing clearing, no trees were cleared for construction.
ENERGY
Mains power connection (4.5 km underground). The aim of a remote area power system was not suitable, a reliance on fuel delivery for Diesel generation in winter posed an unreasonable risk of fungal infection. Passively cooled and heated (with supplementary slab heating in the living space).
WATER & WASTE
Rainwater for all drinking, ablution and fire fighting requirements is collected and stored in tanks. Waste water is treated on site through aerobic biological and sand filtration requiring zero chemical or power input.
