Virtually every year disaster strikes some part of Australia. Whether it's widespread floods, bushfires, or a nation-wide Telstra outage in the middle of GoT. After the devastating 2003 Canberra bushfires, this site was rereleased. When designing a new home for a young family, Kuhnellco Architecture explored the idea of new beginnings to design a home which is simple and honest, reflecting the harsh beauty of the site and it's history...
The bushfire crystallised how harsh and extreme the Australian landscape can be. In designing Archer Family Residence, the architects wanted to capture the idea of new beginnings as a reference to this young family, but also to the community who had to rebuild their lives. For inspiration Kuhnellco Architecture looked at colonial settlements where utility and function take priority. They also explored the meaning of community from a pre-colonial perspective, where gathering places incorporate an important communal area.
The result is a home which reflects the values and history of the site and expresses the raw beauty of the Australian landscape with honest materials and simple detailing.
"I took the Australian rural vernacular as inspiration, and as such the detailing of the pavilions is deliberately un-complicated." - Peter Kuhnell
The outcome of this design approach is a series of pavilions arranged around a communal living space. This provides a sheltered and protected outdoor space as well as flexibility for the future as the family's needs change and grow.
"For the client, the building allows a fluid interaction with the surrounding landscape whilst also offering a series of spaces that can be adapted as their family grows." - Peter Kuhnell
When recovering from disaster, it's natural to reflect on the importance and value of place. This home looks to the past to provide meaning and inspiration for a new future. By approaching the design in this way the new building feels more connected to the landscape and the history of the site. You can (and should) have a new building that feels like it belongs.
