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Your work is renowned for its climatic and
environmental fit. Is that your signature?
KC: It’s our starting point.
The term ‘granny-flat’ suggests a rather
dowdy, dreary space. This is much more isn’t it?
LC: It’s a fairly universal design. It could be clothed
differently. You might shape it differently, but really,
the idea can have a much wider application in this
climate and environment.
What motivated your client to occupy
this part of the allotment in this way?
KC: It was an exposed backyard overlooked by
neighbours and as soon as the pavilion was built,
it just became the centre of gravity for the whole
house.
There is a distinctly crafted, honed quality
– not exactly something the neighborhood,
or Gold Coast, has really discovered.
KC: There are well-known gems around, but
the Gold Coast has been more of a brash tourist
town and the housing stock takes more of the
mansion approach. There is a growing appreciation
for design and gradually we’ll see a lot of the old
housing stock regenerated. It’s at a turning point
now.
Have tight budgets made you better architects,
or simply forced you to better disguise where
cuts have been made?
KC: You have to understand where to direct the
budget. You might perform to a very low cost,
but it’s important how to assemble those parts
to realize the whole.
There are testing issues of privacy and daylight.
You’ve obviously considered those issues
thoroughly. Have you been successful?
LC: Privacy is difficult when you have this density.
One reason the pavilion is there is because to the
south a neighbor had views into the backyard.
The pavilion increased their privacy and our client’s.
Given your work is so collaborative, how do you
assign roles? Do you design half each and meet
up in the middle, or does one handle interiors and
the other the exterior?
LC: We work over each others’ drawings and quite
often forget who initiated the first one, so it’s all
quite seamless.
KC: Having run a small practice for so long, we
work as general practitioners and our skills are interchangeable. There’s not much we disagree on, really.
What was the main attraction of Viridian glass?
KC: An architect needs to understand their materials
whatever those happen to be. In this instance we
were lucky to have such an informed and helpful
window manufacturer. Wayne Burt from Window
Makers visited the site a number of times. We
discussed glazing details and he provided window
and door section samples. That was a very positive
experience and so we look forward to working with
him on other projects because of his enthusiasm
and knowledge.
LC: He was also very knowledgeable about Viridian
glass. Wayne was really on the case. The other thing
to say is that his people were craftsmen and were
interested to find solutions for this small project.