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5 Houses Built to Age Gracefully
These new homes embrace the natural qualities of materials that look even better over time
Anyone building a house faces the dilemma of deciding what materials their home should be built with, and whether it suits the context of their site or neighbourhood. Then there are questions of how long the material will last, how often maintenance will be required and how much it will cost. Some of the most beautiful and durable materials are those that are natural and age gracefully, imparting a project with an extra special quality. With natural materials, however, it’s important to note each one’s unique characteristics and whether its qualities align with the vision of your own home, now and into the future.
This house is a great example of how material choice can help a design seem at home and comfortable within its environment rather than sticking out like an alien within the landscape.
Here, we see how the natural rocks, water and surrounding backdrop of trees complement the spotted gum facade.
2. Rammed earth walls
Hill House by Mihaly Slocombe shows how rammed earth can be a versatile material worthy of use for a family home. Not only does it age well, but it also provides thermal comfort throughout the building. With this project, the architects set out to use natural materials and passive solar design principles to achieve energy neutrality.
Hill House by Mihaly Slocombe shows how rammed earth can be a versatile material worthy of use for a family home. Not only does it age well, but it also provides thermal comfort throughout the building. With this project, the architects set out to use natural materials and passive solar design principles to achieve energy neutrality.
The rammed earth creates a visual array of similar colours, with each portion of wall slightly different from the last. These walls are created with formwork, which is then filled with earth and aggregates, then compressed until it is a structural element within the design.
This compressive technique creates a series of horizontal bands within the walls, adding extra interest to your design. While these walls are not always made of earth from the immediate site itself, this material is about as raw as you can get, literally building from the ground up.
3. Travertine stone facade
B.E Architecture created an impressive facade using travertine stone in the Cassell Street house. The design used 10 different slab sizes to create a series of horizontal bands with stone sourced from different locations within the same quarry. This gives a range of colours, creating an intertwined pattern of stone developing an extra layer of texture and pattern.
B.E Architecture created an impressive facade using travertine stone in the Cassell Street house. The design used 10 different slab sizes to create a series of horizontal bands with stone sourced from different locations within the same quarry. This gives a range of colours, creating an intertwined pattern of stone developing an extra layer of texture and pattern.
The architects say the banding quality of the stone facade references the Byzantine buildings and the owner’s heritage. The limited material palette of natural and aged materials, such as travertine, rustic timber, concrete and steel cast over a strong rectilinear form make the building look older than it is. The stone will look less pristine, but no less striking over time.
The material palette and theme features inside too.
4. Timber and concrete combination
Maddison Architects combined timber and concrete seamlessly in this cabin extension, not only creating a space that will age as gracefully as fine wine, but also fade unobtrusively into its coastal environment.
Maddison Architects combined timber and concrete seamlessly in this cabin extension, not only creating a space that will age as gracefully as fine wine, but also fade unobtrusively into its coastal environment.
While the concrete is not natural, its robust and heavy nature allows it to stay sturdy as the years go by and provide thermal comfort throughout the house, while the contrasting lighter timber creates an interesting dynamic and interplay between the two.
5. Cedar all over
Both the walls and roof of this rural abode have been clad in cedar so, as the house ages, it will silver off and recede into the surrounding tussocks. Architect Andrew Patterson says it was important the material could change and weather over time, giving an “honest, unfinished quality.”
“This house is as much a part of the landscape as the hills themselves; as the natural environment changes tone and colour with the seasons, the farmhouse moves in and out of focus,” Patterson says.
Both the walls and roof of this rural abode have been clad in cedar so, as the house ages, it will silver off and recede into the surrounding tussocks. Architect Andrew Patterson says it was important the material could change and weather over time, giving an “honest, unfinished quality.”
“This house is as much a part of the landscape as the hills themselves; as the natural environment changes tone and colour with the seasons, the farmhouse moves in and out of focus,” Patterson says.
Scrubby Bay House was built in a remote bay on a sheep station at Banks Peninsula for an expat family planning to live here only occasionally. It is accessible only via helicopter.
Inside, the house is lined with macrocarpa, a fast-growing exotic cypress that gives the interiors a warm and cosy quality.
YOUR SAY
Which materials would you love to build a house out of? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Browse more home design ideas
YOUR SAY
Which materials would you love to build a house out of? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
MORE
Browse more home design ideas
Lume Architecture has used timber cladding on the facade of this house, allowing the timber to weather naturally and blend seamlessly into its context. This has allowed the home’s natural materials to complement the landscape and the landscape to, in turn, complement the materials, creating an almost symbiotic relationship between the two.