About Long House

Long House is an environmentally sensitive home in Gardiners Creek, Blackburn.

The clients, a young family of four, sought a house that would integrate with the environment not only in an architectural sense but also in a performative aspect.

Located toward the end of a cul-du-sac that terminates at Gardiners Creek, Long House’s site is defined by an abundance of natural vegetation, and moderately undulating terrain.

The formal response to both brief and site, is multifaceted in its outcomes. At once, the 33m elongated form maximises northern exposure, streamlines both planning and construction efficiencies, and poetically augments the latent beauty found in the site’s topography.

Through a simple yet efficient planning response, sensitive material choices, and forward-thinking services integration, Long House intends on offering a home for growth, and longevity.

Features

The clients had a holistic approach to their home’s environmental outlook; sustainability and a reduced carbon footprint were key drivers. These factors, coupled with a tight budget and the site’s evident natural amenity, resulted in a concisely conceived house built to support flexible use for its inhabitants well into the future.

With a dominant west to east orientation, dealing with the site’s 2.5m cross fall was key in providing an economically efficient answer. Key elements are materiality, a planning strategy that engages with the full depth of the site, and a quantitative response to high level sustainability performance. This is visually fulfilled via the house’s sustainably sourced timber cladding will silver off with age, its verticality relating to the tall trees around it.

At the eastern end and acting as an anchor point, the masonry chimney is left in a tonally sensitive face brick, again with the outlook of weathering off in time. Internally, the main arterial circulation mimics the fall of the site. Throughout the day, the occupants trace the full depth of their site, physically engaging with its topography as they live out their daily rituals.

Long House has a particular focus on sustainability. Its orientation allows for efficient solar access through its controlled northern openings, as well as giving optimised conditions for passive systems of natural ventilation.

The natural topography of the site was preserved and echoed in the stepping of the house to minimise disruption of the ground plane. Solar orientation to the north was maximised with timber awnings providing shade during the summer months. The linear form of the house allows effective cross-ventilation. Air quality is maximised inside with an integrated door mat and adjacent shoe storage for a shoe-free environment.

Taking advantage of the long roof expanse is a north-facing 12 kilowatt solar panel array, and 10 kilowatt inverter capacity complementing the system. Gas, the superfluous fossil fuel, has been decommissioned from the property, and an electric heat pump for hydronic and hot water included. Car charging facilities for their electric car further add to the forward planned sustainable services.