'Classic Freeform Modernism' from Futurebuild mixes eco, techno and nature with style
Introducing 'Classic Freeform Modernism'. Owners and designers of this New Zealand techno-eco house, Jason Tweedie and his wife
Lydia Bradey, coined the term and developed the style themselves. 'Classic' because of their interest in Gaudi, Lloyd Wright and other master
architects. 'Freeform' because of its flowing style, its curves and angles. Modernism because it breaks the mould and is suited to modern
living. Tweedie and Bradey, now working as design consultants Studio8, tell the story of their inspiring project.
The project started as most do, with the search for the perfect site. The pair looked for beautiful surroundings as they didn't wanted their
eco home to look like a hippy house. Their focus was on excellent design. They found their site on Lake Hawea, with a spectacular mountain
backdrop on three sides.
Despite the fresh beauty of the area, it has a cold climate. Insulation was of most importance especially as the house was going to be solar
heated. The winter cold made the south side of the house impossible to use, so instead they built half of the house into the south bank and
gave it an earth roof covered in tussocks, due to turn green in the spring. In fact, there are two sections to the house. One is a studio
living area and the other a workshop and garage.
One section has the dirt roof with solar panels hidden by the tussocks, the other part is a wooden roof due to be covered with 75% recycled
rubber shingles, taken from old car tyres. It looks like slate tile, but has far better insulation. The house is also insulated with 150 mm
wall batts, with a 3.1 R-value for heat retention.
The roof structure and the many eco-friendly features and design surprises required careful thought and in many places relied on futurebuild
engineered building products. Originally the design was for steel structures right through the roof but Jason and Lydia were concerned about
this from a health perspective. "We didn't want steel because of the electro-magnetic frequency. We wanted concentration of electrical fields,"
Jason explains. The owners contacted futurebuild to assist with materials and with design. The earth on the roof adds 28 tonnes of weight to
the roof frame and, in winter, snow-loadings on top of that. Cameron Mocke from futurebuild offered two solutions - one design that used only a
portion of steel; and the second, no steel at all - only engineered timber. Jason and Lydia favoured natural wood products as they do not give
off energy but also require less embodied energy to produce.
The weight of the earth roof is supported by 400 mm Hybeam I-Joists. The other roof, a cathedral roof shaped like an upturned boat hull is
curved and dramatically high pitched, using Hyspan Structural LVL as the ridge beam and Hybeam as the rafters. The high studio roof overlooks
the earth roof and Mount Maud in the distance. Inside, there is a five-metre stud height.
Jason compares the effect of this roof to the Opera House.
Hyspan and Hybeam also helped to achieve the curve of the roof. As Jason explains, they wanted some part of the roof to be within reach, as a
reminder of what ceilings and roofs are for - a feeling of the shelter they provide. Also, flaring a building into the ground anchors it
visually and the two curved walls add complexity to the flared metre high concrete nib wall around the building.
The trueness and straightness of the LVL beams made construction easy. "Once you marry two big curved walls the whole roof structure starts to
bow and twist. The large beams of timber come over the structure and are bolted down to it," says Jason.
As for the eco-aspect, this is consistent throughout the house. Any steel in the slab of the house is earthed with earthing rods welded to the
mesh so that there is no charge in the steel. All the cables run in conduits in the ground so that all power is run below the walls of the
house instead of around the living areas. Jason and Lydia didn't want to be surrounded by wiring. There is an intricate system running between
the utilities room in the garage that houses all the power making facilities and the living areas. The solar panels are the source of power and
heat the water, which in turn heats the whole house. The house also has double-glazed, highly heat retentive glass, and uses recycled Kauri
which is like oak, in all the windows, doors and floors. The sustainability of the LVL, being non-native plantation timber and the fact it was
available in untreated form also appealed to the owners.
"The LVL also helped to keep costs down," adds Jason, "It is a brilliant product, it is very straight, true and lightweight to put up. When you
stand under it and look at the structure it looks like it cost a lot but it hasn't. You couldn't buy steel for half of that." futurebuild LVL
came as a complete package, along with creative design solutions and engineering from the NZ technical team. With the local merchant,
Placemakers, the LVL system arrived on-site and the whole job went off hassle-free.
Jason is a qualified plumber and gas fitter, with extensive knowledge of the building industry; Lydia is a qualified Physiotherapist and
mountain guide and was the first woman in the world (and still the only New Zealander) to have climbed Everest without bottled oxygen. They
were both able to bring a range of skills to managing this project, along with a shared passion for architectural design. The result is an
eco-techno home with a high level of design and craftsmanship. It is sustainability without the hippie vibe, an all-natural approach that
breaks new ground. For more details on this project visit www.studio8.co.nz.
For further information contact:
Futurebuild
phone: +61 3 9258 7600
fax: +61 3 9258 7629
web: www.chhfuturebuild.com
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