Bark Studio House

“Bark Design Architects, a small Australian practice, have designed a studio for themselves that showcases their philosophy of design and provides a great space to work, located on the Noosa Hinterland.” (Cilento, K. 2009)

(Contemporist, 2009)

Drawings

Floor PlanUpper Floor PlanSection A-ASite PlanElevationPerspective P1

As an Environmental Filter

The Bark House Studio has been designed to be respectful to the environment, sensitive to its natural surroundings and to create a connection between what is built and what is nature. The architects carefully positioned the house between two mature Brown Bloodwood Eucalypt trees as a way to emphasize this relationship. (Contemporist, 2009)


Sitting on four steel footings, the elevated building minimizes any disturbance to the natural ground line and the trees’ root systems maintaining natural terrain, natural water courses and significant vegetation.


The design is extremely open allowing maximum ventilation and penetration of natural light, this is achieved by the use of louvers and slide able glass panels present on 3 sides of the house. The predominantly glass design was made possible with the use of a skeletal steel frame enabling the glass to span from the floor to the ceiling.



The steel and glass work together to frame magnificent views which overlook the coast line, creating an overwhelming sense of a connecting to the surrounding landscape.






The house has been orientated to capture the desirable northern and eastern sunlight during the day but is careful to block the harsh western sun in the afternoon.

This clever orientation combined with the open design and spatial planning makes all living areas in the house enjoyable at all times of day without the use of artificial light or air-conditioning. The design uses economical and light weight materials including plywood sourced from plantation grown timber and steel which is recyclable.

“The project stresses the architects’ beliefs that a building should work with the existing conditions and not against them. Hence, the natural fairly steep topography and existing water courses are maintained and enhanced by the architecture" (Cilento, K. 2009)

(Contemporist, 2009)
(Bark Design Architects, 2009)

As a Container of Human Activities

The Bark House Studio has been designed by architects Stephen Guthrie and Lindy Atkin’s to express their design approach and viewpoints while creating an inspirational work place for the Bark Design team.

“The Bark Studio explores the notion of a mixed work / house typology – a workhouse” (Contemporist, 2009) The house has been designed to effectively be a work place for 5 – 6 architects, a house for a couple or a mixture of both if needed. The house contains areas to work but also areas such as the outdoor deck giving a place to look over the landscape and reflect, or the mezzanine level bound by shelving filled with books proving quiet space to read and sleep. The house contains all facilities needed to live in, including a bathroom, laundry, eating area and kitchen. (Contemporist, 2009)

The Bark studio has been successful in achieving its multifunctional objective allowing people the opportunity to live there whilst being an inspiring environment for an architectural studio.

image sourced: (Contemporist, 2009)
(Bark Design Architects, 2009)



As a Delightful Experience

The studio’s placement in amongst nature makes it such a peaceful and relaxing experience. Its orientation and situation has been carefully planned giving consideration to wind direction, sun path, and views, creating a pleasant indoor atmosphere that has a direct and obvious relationship with its natural surroundings.

image sourced: (Contemporist, 2009)






During the day natural light floods the open design creating a lively, positive, ‘feel good’ sensation and at night sets the mood for a relaxing, tranquil night’s sleep alongside the stars and moonlight.




Placing the house on a hillside provides every room in the house with a beautiful view overlooking dense vegetation, the coast line and out into the expansive Pacific Ocean.

The architects intent was to design an inspiring place for the Bark Studio team and they have done just that, emphasizing the bond between the built and the natural creates a delightful ambiance indoors that’s present even while working.



References

Bark Design Architects (2009) Bark Studio. Retrieved from:
http://www.architecture.com.au/awards_search?option=showaward&entryno=2005408 (accessed March 4, 2010)

Bark Design Architects (2010) Projects - Commercial - Bark Studio. Retrieved from:
http://www.barkdesign.com.au/ (accessed March 3, 2010)

Cilento, K. (2009) The Studio of Bark Design Architects. Retrieved from:
http://www.archdaily.com/39543/the-studio-of-bark-design-architects/ (accessed March 3, 2010)

Contemporist (2009) The Studio of Bark Design Architects. Retrieved from:
http://www.contemporist.com/2009/10/24/the-studio-of-bark-design-architects/ (accessed March 10, 2010)