Johanna House / Nicholas Burns

Jun 2009

By Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses , Selected , Australia, Nicholas Burns, Rammed Earth

Architect: Nicholas Burns
Location: Johanna beach, Victoria, Australia
Contractor: BDH constructions
Landscape: Indigenous Species
Materials: Rammed earth, Concrete, Steel, Glass
Design year: 2005-2006
Project year: 2007-2008
Photographs: Nicholas Burns

Site

Secluded 100 acres of pristine bush containing environmentally significant and endangered ecological classes adjoining the National Park.

Concept

A discrete addition to the landscape, a journey of gradual and layered concealment, opening landscape and ocean. Contrast; contraction/expansion, heavy/light, opaque/transparent….inside-outside-inside. Pure geometry, limited material palette and detailing create a stillness, a dematerialising interconnection with nature, landscape and time creating place and present focus.

Climate

Latitude of 38˚46˝, 400m from the Bass Strait (Temperature range 12-18˚C). The proximity to the ocean ameliorates the diurnal temperatures and evens out the highest and lowest to a range by approximately 10˚C to 13-34˚C. Wind speed is common in winter to 60 knots. Precipitation is high for Victoria due to the proximity of the cool temperate rainforest of the Otway Ranges.

Landscape

No outside material imported onto site to prevent invasion of non-indigenous species on the property and adjoining national park. The house is sited on an existing clearing, no trees were cleared for construction.

Energy

Mains power connection (4.5 km underground). The aim of a remote area power system was not suitable, a reliance on fuel delivery for Diesel generation in winter posed an unreasonable risk of fungal infection. Passively cooled and heated (with supplementary slab heating in the living space).

Water & waste

Rainwater for all drinking, ablution and fire fighting requirements is collected and stored in tanks. Waste water is treated on site through aerobic biological and sand filtration requiring zero chemical or power input.

: construction process

: construction process

: construction process

: plans

19 comments »

Travis says:

what’s with the robotic language in the post?
maybe the most “sustainable” design aspect would be to keep the owners out (and it makes for such nice photos…)

# June 27, 2009 at 17:50

Terry Glenn Phipps says:

This is an exceptional project that benefits enormously from the clear concept, reduced materials palette, and logically thought through systems. The volumes are beautiful and the transparency is totally appropriate.

It does seem as if the kitchen landed from another project and I have never been much of a fan of steel fireplace flues. It does seem that the volume of the fireplace could have been solid.

Lastly, a project of this caliber really deserves top professional photography.

As for the language, I appreciate the matter of fact tone.

# June 27, 2009 at 21:48

AMR says:

Agree Terry, though the kitchen bothers me more than the flue.
In fact most kitchens I see bother me for their blandness.
This kitchen should have been in stone or plywood not 2 pack epoxy paint. Hardly very green.

# June 27, 2009 at 22:01

LargoJax says:

Well said Terry!

# June 28, 2009 at 03:23

farflung says:

lovely project, and i too appreciate the lack of florid talkitecture in the description.
passively cooled? perhaps.
passively heated? not with all that glass.

# June 28, 2009 at 04:41

Lax Mok says:

Reading: "Johanna House / Nicholas Burns | ArchDaily" (http://twitthis.com/xotzll)

# June 28, 2009 at 05:10

Lucas Gray says:

Nice post Terry.

I love the material palette. Rammed earth is suck a fantastic material that should really be used more as a substitute for concrete walls.

I echo the comments above about transparency and the elegance of the volumes. This house has a great connection to the surrounding landscape.

# June 28, 2009 at 05:39

Mike Garten says:

Beautiful beach architecture at http://bit.ly/G9V6E

# June 28, 2009 at 10:07

Robert Morrison says:

for those who like Johanna House / Nicholas Burns http://bit.ly/veULY read much more here http://bit.ly/BIqmT on @pushpullbar

# June 28, 2009 at 11:30

taylorjsimpson says:

Check out: "Johanna House / Nicholas Burns | ArchDaily" (http://twitthis.com/xotzll)

# June 28, 2009 at 14:10

Olivier M. says:

Johanna House / Nicholas Burns http://bit.ly/G9V6E
This looks nice!

# June 29, 2009 at 08:35

miloIIIIVII says:

want this VIEW http://bit.ly/C3WST #design #nature

# June 29, 2009 at 14:16

sullka says:

I love this house, excellent rammed earth case study.

It’s thread on PushPullBar has more info on it.

# June 29, 2009 at 16:15

Lasse says:

What an amazing landscape…

The house is okay but the sorroundings just deserve much better attention to details, window frames and so on has such lame proportions..
I don’t know if I would use the courtyard, I get that it’s windy but sitting outside and having to look through the living room to see the view seems a bit depressing.

Diggind down 4,5 kms of powerlines seems aggressive compared to a little wind turbine or solarpower.. Or is that just me?

# June 30, 2009 at 09:55

Jimmy says:

First i confused it as a painting, excellent ecofriendly architecture works.

# July 6, 2009 at 08:40

Naim Ahmed Kibria says:

A very neat and clean work- speaks the simplicity of the plan and elevations.The placement of the building on the contoured landscape is very interesting and i like the photograph taken from a distant beach…….over all FANTASTIC.

# September 22, 2009 at 13:00

Nick Downes says:

Johanna House / Nicholas Burns http://ow.ly/1xuGL <—- a nice little retreat here (via @archdaily)

# April 12, 2010 at 13:38