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So tell us about yourself and your practice.
I'm born and educated in Brisbane and architecture is my primary passion. I see the practice as a vehicle for indulging in architecture, so thinking about architecture and making buildings.
What was your brief for this job?
The brief was really to design a deck. This was born out of the client's frustration with this dysfunctional house. The plan didn't work and the program didn't work. So to yield a deck we had to reorganise the whole house.
How would you describe your design process for the project?
I think I'd use the word "strategic". The design process is somewhat of an action plan for dealing with privacy, climate and landscape on the site and also within the house. Part of the reorganisation of the house involved rationalising the promenade from the street to the garden. We used this promenade as a way of organising the interior plan and its public and private rooms. One now moves from street to garden through a suite of public rooms.
Tell me about your idea behind using cheap materials and finding the best use for them.
Yes, we call them dumb materials. I might sound condescending but they are for all intents and purposes dumb materials and dumb construction techniques. I think it's interesting to see if we can yield a particular finish without having to spend a lot of money and jumping to clichéd conclusions about how a piece of modern architecture should be made or achieved. Little D.I.Y. projects such as garages and other humble structures appeared in the gardens of the region in the post war period. They were mostly clad in fibro. This trend remains quite evident. Our Client didn't have one, so we made his own little white box to keep up with the Joneses.
Why did you decide to use the A14 in this project?
The doors concealing utility spaces on the deck were designed as light-weight doors, they are physically quite light. Generally one has two options for large sliding panels either they're top hung with a Centor product, or bottom rolling with someone else's product. In this instance, due to the light frame and the physical lightness of the doors, I believe that the top hung system of Centor's was appropriate.
Why did you decide to put two tracks side by side?
To yield the largest aperture as possible, because the space that's behind those doors is actually a laundry.
The doors are translucent, what was the idea behind that?
The doors are timber framed and lined in opal perspex. The opal perspex allows the transmission of light but isn't transparent, as in one can't see through it. When backlit, the wall of doors becomes the primary light source for the room, the outdoor room.
Why did you decide to leave the track exposed and without a pelmet on?
It was the client's decision finally to not cover the track. It was always an option if the client found it undesirable. The contingency plan was that we could conceal it in a pelmet, but I think the track itself is quite simple and its factory finish is decent enough to remain visible.
What do you think about the functionality of the A14?
I think the A14 Airtrack functions very smoothly. It slides extremely easily and well. I think it suits its function.
What, if anything, do you think it's added to the project?
Being able to use a track that allows us to use very large sliding panels. We call them doors or walls. The larger they become the more they become a wall. I think it complements the design intent but also the simplistic approach to construction. On this project, in particular, we employed a very humble form of construction and also its materiality is very humble. The simple track system complements that.
What kind of versatility do you think a product like A14 has?
I've used it numerous times in the past and I think it satisfies a lot of scenarios where a door opening has to be custom designed and made. So it's very adaptable and I think that makes it versatile.
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