Project 1. Part A. Archetype

Balaam House

                                        Garage and entrence (Arkhefeild, 2007)

The Balaam House challenges form and material use, while being inspired by modernist, robust and tactile sources. This riverfront house seeks to engage the city, the river and the passers by through becoming a part of the public realm in an urban environment (Arkhefeild Architects. 2007)

Balaam House as an Environmental Filter

-          The residence captures views to the South and presents a heavily articulated and screened facade to the North and West AIA. 2010).

-          Balaam House responds to external influences such as heat and privacy by having layered design.

-           The design incorporates a ventilation core, this allows follow through ventilation and heat stack effects (Specifier, 2011).

Balaam House as a Container of Activities

-          The swimming pool has been designed as a centre for life in the house, for adults and children alike (Specifier, 2011).

-          Balaam house is a large levelled family home that has been zoned to accommodate the needs of individual users (Arkhefeild Architects. 2007).

-          The residence has been designed through levels in an effective way that can accommodate the needs of a large family.

-          Zoning of spaces gives the resident ownership (AIA, 2010)

-          Balaam house has a large garden area, which allows escape from indoor activities (Specifier, 2011).

-          The internal configuration of stacked children’s rooms to the north and parents’, guests’ and entertaining spaces to the southern riverfront is rationally arranged, but the flow, shaping and interlocking of these spaces has an ever-changing vitality(Specifier, 2011).

Balaam House as a Delightful Experience

-          Different areas throughout the house are symbolically segmented by a shift in materials (Specifier, 2011).

-          Cloaked in Jarrah, the indoor/outdoor living areas are bright and casual, and help to make the vista an integral part of the home (Specifier, 2011).

-          The Balaam House has a modular design, materials change accordingly to the kind of space. From the off-form white concrete of more formal and functional zones, to timber and glass in areas of comfort and relaxation (Specifier, 2011).

References

 -Arkhefeild Architects. 2007. http://www.arkhefield.com.au/projectdetail.php?id=109&cat=4 (accessed March 11, 2011)

-AIA. 2010. http://www.architecture.com.au/awards_search?option=showaward&entryno=2007040378 (accessed March 25, 2011)

- Specifier. 2011. http://www.specifier.com.au/projects/residential/34917/Balaam-Residence.html (accessed March 25, 2011)