I think when architecture is particularly beautiful
is when it becomes the sort of art of living like it is the the perfect rendering of a particular
lifestyle in a particular place for a particular person.
My name is Thomas Bailey, I am director and lead architect of Room 11 Architects and
this is the Glass House Pavilion.
Koonya is on the Tasman Peninsula, it's a sort of classic destination for
Hobartians for the weekend for its great fishing and it also has quite an interesting microclimate.
It's relatively mild and it's particularly fantastic place to be.
This project is the, it was the second piece of work that I did for the same client. We
discussed a lot of things about creating a little retreat from the main homestead
but essentially he wanted a place to write a great novel and that
was a really fantastic brief for me it obviously appealed to any sort of poetic
drives that I have but it also sort of made a sort of pair back; it's about an individual connecting
with place but also being quite focused on a particular task and and being close
to whatever inspires life. We both understood that that that was the the driver for this building.
The building is essentially the finest filter that we can have for comfort. Glass is a wonderful
material for architects, we can be in the sun and out of the wind. The changing of the day
basically. Colours the experience within the interior so the building is designed to be
a vessel for light, it is filled with light; if the day is beautiful the house is beautiful,
if the day is a bit moody the house is a little bit moody.
There's quite a bit of concrete here as well which is a key part of the thermal performance, then
we've used offset that with a timber, I think you know the classic sort of combination of timber,
glass and concrete, they are the the tools of architects.
The fireplace is a very key part and there's something beautiful and romantic about
closing the building down, collecting some firewood and creating a sort of central focus
which is the hearth, I think there's a beautiful sort of ritual
about connecting to those essential human experiences and fire is obviously one of those.
We're not striving for a form, we're striving for an experience and then we're striving to have
the minimum use of materials in order to achieve that. We've used these very large panels of glass
we want to have the least number of joins and then we've positioned very large doors at key
locations which are sort of natural movement through the site and through the building
between these two platforms of ceiling and floor. One of the interesting things is as
well as is that transition from from day to night and making that as smooth as possible
and delightful so we're trying to create a connection from an interior to an exterior.
The sort of private facilities of the building; bathing and ablutions they're all within an
absolute minimum of space but we've deliberately augmented that experience, it's black,
the idea is to make that experience an extreme experience of interiority and then
when you leave that space and come back into this extraordinary large volume with this incredible
vista that, you know, that's seen in a fresh way and you're constantly reminded of where you are.
The departure from a standard home and the standard comfort of home
is very deliberate, it's meant to be a potent lasting experience one whereby
once you leave it, it rings in your mind and you constantly want to return.
Every part of it is what we hoped it would be, that's something that i draw a lot of pride from.
Published three times a year, The Local Project hardcopy publication contains over 350 pages of
curated insight into the latest architecture and design across Australia and new Zealand.
Printed on exceptionally high quality paper stock,
the publication is designed to be read and enjoyed over time.
A beautiful and valuable addition to any personal library or coffee table.
Our latest issue, Edition Number 6 contains 20 projects from Australia
and New Zealand's leading architects and interior designers, as well as
stories on industry-leading and emerging furniture designers and local distributors.
Discover the latest projects such as The Sandcastle by Luigi Rosselli,
his son Raffaello Rosselli and interior designer Romy Alwill. Corner House by Archier.
Chennier by emerging studio Eastop Architects.
The award-winning Eight Yard house by Studio Bright.
And Pearl Beach House by Polly Harbison Design in collaboration with Arent & Pyke.
With worldwide delivery available, have the hard copy print publication delivered
straight to your door three times a year with an annual subscription.
Head to the description of this video to subscribe to the tri-annual print publication.