Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects

Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Exterior Photography, ArcadeDomic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Countertop, Chair, BeamDomic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Exterior Photography, GardenDomic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Exterior Photography, FacadeDomic House / Noel Robinson Architects - More Images+ 26

Sunshine Beach, Australia
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Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Exterior Photography, Arcade
© Scott Burrows Photographer

‘Domik’ is an expansive private residence that burrows into the sand hills to the south of the Noosa National Park, QLD, Australia. Its frontage enjoys an easterly aspect with views over the Pacific Ocean. The client’s brief called for a timeless, practical holiday home, with high ceilings, minimal internal columns, use of natural materials, and strong connection to gardens, greenspace and the local landscape. The functions of the house have a focus on entertainment, sports and health. The site itself was a challenging proposition, being composed of sandy soils, having a steep gradient, being in a bushfire prone area, fronting a conservation zone, being exposed to salt air and having restricted street access.

Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Scott Burrows Photographer

The house’s sculptural forms and the burrowed nature of its siting was a response to the site’s challenges and the client brief. Concrete arches as a structural form, minimised the need for internal columns and maximised the open spans for windows. They also produced complex shapes, high ceilings, the opportunity to create interestingly shaped organic internal bedroom and living spaces and permitted the landscape to wrap from the ground plane up and over the roof surfaces.

Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Countertop, Chair, Beam
© Scott Burrows Photographer
First floor plan
Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Interior Photography, Living Room
© Scott Burrows Photographer

The residence has an expansive footprint and floor area. The continuation of the landscape up and over the house, the use of lightweight timber ‘eyelids’ to the concrete arches and the burrowing of the house into the ground all serve to re-green the hillside and break down the building’s bulk. When viewed from the beachside, the National Park, and from neighbouring houses further up the hill the residence is largely camouflaged into the landscape, with this perception set to increase over time as the planting continues to mature.

Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Interior Photography, Living Room, Chair, Facade, Windows, Beam
© Scott Burrows Photographer
Section
Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Interior Photography, Bedroom, Windows, Bed
© Scott Burrows Photographer

In this sense the residence contributes positively to the visual amenity of the coastal landscape. The client had a clear sustainability aspiration, which included the desire for on-site power generation, an aversion to the use of air conditioning and the desire to incorporate sustainable and renewable building products. The house has an expansive rooftop solar array supported by a battery storage system.

Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Exterior Photography, Facade, Garden
© Scott Burrows Photographer

Roof water is collected for reuse on site. Internal nonloadbearing walls are composed of hempcrete, which provides for acoustic and thermal insulation, has high carbon sequestration and is a fully recyclable product. Internal temperatures are stabilised through the combination of thermal mass, the insulating properties of the landscaped roof and external walls, the burrowing of the house into the hillside and protection from western sun. The project’s final build quality is testament to the Contractor’s investment into the project outcomes and is reflective of their high-quality subcontractor selections.

Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects - Exterior Photography, Garden
© Scott Burrows Photographer

The project benefitted from close collaboration with the structural engineer and the landscape architect, ensuring that the architectural vision for the project could be achieved. Ultimately, however it was the client’s willingness to take up a creative response to the site’s opportunities which has permitted the creation of an organically imaginative building which delivers on the client’s brief and vision, promotes sustainability, and which integrates closely with the local landscape, site and place.

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About this office
Cite: "Domic House / Noel Robinson Architects" 12 May 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/939298/domic-house-noel-robinson-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© Scott Burrows Photographer

沙漠洞穴住宅 / Noel Robinson Architects

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