Riddel Architecture

Riddel Architecture spent five years designing and overseeing the construction of a light-filled, airy and sustainable home in Brisbane’s Hill End. Centor spoke with architect Emma Scragg about the project.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your practice.
I’ve been working at Riddel since 1993, less lots of time adventuring in between. Our background has been in heritage architecture, but the practice has evolved to encompass my personal passion in sustainable design.

All our buildings respond to their environment and climate, with lots of indoor-outdoor flow of space. All our architecture aims to respond to the Queensland climate and the building’s local environment and setting.

What was the design brief for the Hill End Eco House, and what was your vision for achieving your client’s goal?
A former client of ours asked us to design a sustainable spec house. Since then it’s been a five-year process from when we got the brief to when it was completed in March 2010.

We wanted to create an architectural landmark that was contemporary, responded to the climate and responded to the local architectural character. When I came back optimistically with a comprehensive brief of elements that a sustainable house should feature, they said yes to everything.

The building team, Rob Peagram Builders, recycled 80 per cent of the original building and incorporated it into the new building. We wanted it to be a home where you would not need to use air conditioning and had very low embodied energy.

Were there any challenges in trying to achieve your vision for this project?
One of the main challenges was not knowing who the future owner would be, so the design had to appeal to a wide range of people. There was also the challenge of balancing the cost against the sustainability of the design and materials. We chose materials based on durability, longevity and recyclability as well as whether they were made locally and by Australian-owned companies.

Since the beginning of the project, there has been a huge change in access to sustainable materials. It’s much easier now than it was five years ago. We did a lot of in-house research because I’m committed to sustainability, and we also used www.ecospecifier.org a lot.

The house has very low embodied energy because the entire frame is recycled hardwood, most of the cladding is recycled, and new products have recycled content.

What atmosphere were you trying to achieve in this building?
Because it’s only a small block, just 10m across, we were trying to maintain a good sense of space and privacy. We wanted the home to have lots of natural light, so we used a courtyard that gives privacy, light and ventilation. We used simple, clean finishes with occasional splashes of colour to keep the sense of space.

Bifolding doors allow for a broader outside-inside transition space than other door types. How important was this for achieving the look and feel of your design?

It was really important in some of the spaces to have a full connection from inside to outside, so all around the courtyard we used Centor folding systems. In our architecture we want the buildings to respond to their environment with lots of indoor-outdoor space, and bifolds allow that.

You also used Centor A6 sliding hardware in this project. Tell me about that.
We used a big sliding door for the living room because it’s a nice neat system that suits the situation. We used the Centor A6 exposed rail system because we liked the look of it.

We used a sliding door in this space for thermal efficiency and for sound. The house is very open plan, but we wanted the option to shut down spaces, so if you wanted to heat the space, you could do it efficiently. The sliding door also makes a lot of sense in tight spaces. While the space looks big, once you put furniture and shelves in, there’s not always room for a big double-hinged door.

Why did you use Centor systems?
We specify Centor a lot, and some of our architects have used them in their own homes. Aesthetically they’re really unobtrusive, and they’re neatly designed. We use the flush drop-bolts on our casement windows and sliding doors because we like the look of them, they are very simple and neat.

Project Team
Emma Scragg
David Gole
Simon Boundy

Builder
Rob Peagram Builders