/ STEWART HOUSE 2012

New four bedroom dwelling and pool

The Stewart House is located in Palm Beach on a ridge overlooking McKay Reserve within a bushfire 'Flame Zone'. The stringent requirements of the bushfire code necessitated the use of bushfire shutters, non-combustible building materials and a fire-rated roof. The house is single storey and split level, and comprises a series of textured rectilinear volumes that step down the sloping site. The scale and planning of the dwelling is deliberately restrained, in resistance to the large scale single housing form typical of the locality. The walls of the volumes and pool are constructed entirely of fire-resistant brick. The face brick walls incorporate horizontal bands of 50mm bricks and 'hit and miss' screening to external courtyards and terraces. The walls are overlaid by 610mm high steel beams and closely spaced Z-purlins which support the fire rated roof. The patterning of the brickwork and the repetition of the steel members give the simple and strong rectangular forms of the fire-rated structure, texture and a sense of lightness. The off-white volumes of the dwelling and swimming pool stand in contrast to the surrounding natural environment, appearing as a series of abstract objects emerging from the landscape.

Photographer: Katherine Lu Photographer: Katherine Lu Photographer: John Gollings Photographer: John Gollings Photographer: John Gollings Photographer: Katherine Lu Photographer: John Gollings Photographer: Katherine Lu Photographer: John Gollings Photographer: John Gollings Photographer: John Gollings Photographer: Katherine Lu Photographer: Katherine Lu Photographer: Katherine Lu Photographer: Katherine Lu