C Residence Nestled harmoniously amongst bushland in the panoramic valley of Cedar Creek, this modern mid-century inspired family home is sustainable, functional and features resourceful design outcomes.
Project Name: C Residence
Studio Name: Tonic Design
Completion date: 2020
Building levels: 1
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Photography: Christopher Fredericks Jones
Designed with rural family living in mind and out of the desire to demonstrate how simple sustainable measures can be implemented seamlessly into modern homes. Initially the design revolved around the creation of a long, thin and lowset house plan which responded to the path of the sun, captured the natural breezes, nestled into the sloping topography and ensured that all habitable rooms were connected to the view.
The house is separated into 4 distinct areas – Indoor and Outdoor Living Zones – Sleeping Zones – Service Zones and a guest / home office zones. Connection into and through each different zone is by way of a multifaced circulation experience.
It can be Inside through hallways, outside along terraces, through courtyards or a combination of the two through a central breezeway which can open up or close down depending on the time of day or season.
The house is completely ‘Off Grid’ with an independent Solar Power and battery system; it’s own wastewater treatment system, and tank water. The materials used Steel Structural Insulated panels from Bondor (Insulwall, Solar Span and Luxe Wall range), recycled brick and concrete with recycled aggregates, reflect the desire for the house to withstand Bushfires, provide thermal mass for capturing solar heat in winter, insulation for deflecting summer heat and natural ventilation for passive cooling of the home in summer.
While steel and glass are not traditionally thought of as sustainable products when the designer uses them in a modular way to minimise construction wastage coupled with their unique ability to be recycled to have a second and maybe third life and pairing with insulation minimising added energy to the building, which assists to offset any embodied energy in their creation over the lifespan of the building.
Featuring on Open Homes Australia Season 4 Episode 9; Tonic’s C House sets a guide for a new form of sustainable design which can be transposed to a new methodology for everyday home construction.
