VISION 23 — MAGIC BOX
Further to that, the house has really high ceilings
throughout to further enhance that feeling of terrific
volume. Many people probably fear such an extensive use
of glass, and that open quality, maybe goes all the way
back to the three little pigs and those houses of brick,
timber, and straw. We’ve been conditioned from a pretty
early age to build the fortress. This breaks the rules with a
seriously playful exploration, where glass offers flexibility
only possible with such a material.
Absolutely. We did really want to push the sense of what a
wall is, and not to have windows in walls as such, but rather
to have walls of glass, so even when the house is closed
down, it’s possible to experience the sense of openness and
occupation of the entire block. We pushed windows all the
way until they became walls.
Many households run the air conditioner and
television 24/7.
Well not here, where we really are conscious of the
immediate environment. There’s no air conditioning and
the television appears only on invitation. On hot days we
ventilate the house. There are no other cooling options.
That just brings the climate into sharper focus for the kids
and it connects all of us with the environment in a way you
don’t experience in a conventional house.
How did Viridian ComfortPlusTM help meet your
design criteria?
As a Principal in a large practice, I work on commercial
projects of all scales and obviously, the sustainability
driver is a critical part of that, so it goes without saying this
philosophy runs through every project. In the context of
the house, it was not just a philosophical decision, but a
personal one. Internally and externally it’s a glass house and
that’s the big shift from its former iteration. ComfortPlusTM
allows the house to operate in the way we hoped it would.
We had to demonstrate a threshold for environmental
performance, and while it was a challenge with the extent
of glass and the fact that a lot of that glass is oriented
32
south, it became clear that the only way to achieve
environmental performance was with a Low-E coated glass.
It was relatively simple to find the information, to talk to
Viridian, and obtain data on the fundamental performance
characteristics, so the relatively technical task was
straight-forward.
You have talked about engaging with the street.
That’s one aspect of the house that touches on the value
of generosity. When we’re ready, as a family, to engage with
our community and contribute to street life, we open up
the house and it is amazing to see how many people stop
when passing by and can see right through the house.
The number of neighbours we know now, who just come in
and say hello when we’re enjoying the house is just great.
It’s amazing.
It’s a house of extraordinary flexibility with the way
courtyards can be opened for ventilation. You have
multiple options with windows up above angled to catch
breezes. You have slight variations on how the doors and
window operate, almost like the sails of a yacht tuned to
the day.
That’s exactly the way we see it and the way it’s used.
Through the winter months we find ourselves opening
the doors to the rear courtyard for the morning sun up to
lunchtime, and that lets in the sun but keeps out the cold
winds. Later in the day, that reverses. We close the back
doors, open the front doors and shutters to catch the
afternoon hours of sunlight at the front of the house. That’s
quite different to the way we tune it during the summer
months where everything’s open much of the time. I do
sometimes imagine myself moving around a boat, trimming
the sails and tuning as we go.
Central footbridge from master bedroom
and bathroom towards second bedroom
and top floor bedroom study.