We are very excited to share that our Austinmer house is featured on The Design Files! See here
New Age Veneers Feature Austinmer House
We are thrilled that our Austinmer house was featured by New Age Veneers, for the veneer Frassino that we used throughout the house renovation including kitchen, living room, bedrooms and bathrooms.
See the feature here
Habitat for Humanity - Volunteer Bushfire Recovery Program
BASE director, Jessica Bradley, will be volunteering in June with Habitat for Humanity as part of their Bushfire Recovery Program.
Alongside other volunteers, she will be assisting in the reconstruction, rebuilding, clearing, landscaping +++ (as needed) on bushfire ravaged properties in the Blue Mountains.
Please show your support by donating here!
Contributing our time and skills is integral to our personal aspirations and professional ethos at BASE. Architecture is not only for those that can afford it, and where possible, we seek to make our skills accessible to those who need it most.
Image below from the website of Habitat for Humanity
Hemp Masonry
We had the fantastic opportunity to participate in the Sydney Hemp Building Workshop in Marrickville. The workshop was hosted by the Australian Hemp Masonry Company, and run by Nick Sowden who constructs hemp masonry homes in Sydney.
We are interested in building with hemp masonry (hempcrete) for several reasons:
The hemp plant is a fast growing plant, beneficial as a rotational crop which increases soil fertility and crop yield. It also sequesters carbon, therefore acting as a carbon sink.
Used as a building material, hemp provides high levels of acoustic and thermal insulation. This reduces the heating and cooling loads on a building, thus reducing energy consumption and associated costs.
A hempcrete wall ‘breathes’. This means it allows for the passage of moisture in the air (water vapour). This porosity, or breathability, can aid in the prevention of condensation build up, rising damp, mould or rot.
Generally, materials required for the construction of a hempcrete wall avoid toxic materials, making it safer both to construct and to dwell within.
A hempcrete building is a healthy one. We seek to construct longstanding, healthy homes, by healthy tradespeople. Give us a call today to discuss your next project!
Donning work gear to get hands on we learned critical information such as:
Ratios to mix hemp, binder and sand. - Including best safety practice when working with lime
Framing and constructing formwork, including classic mistakes to avoid!
Tamping the mix into the formwork
Reconciliation
Last Tuesday, I attended an online presentation, titled “Culture Forum: Openness and Engagement” hosted by the University of Sydney as part of National Reconciliation Week.
As both a professional and a teacher, I struggle to determine the most appropriate, respectful and meaningful way to engage with Indigenous cultures through my work. How can we support reconciliation through architectural practice and recognise the rich indigenous heritage of this country? How do we decolonise architecture, academia? Certainly our education systems are somewhat lacking (an understatement). As a university teacher I recognise my responsibility in working to remedy this.
I am afraid to make mistakes, but I must take the time to educate myself and encourage others to do so, too. I may make mistakes, but I willingly accept responsibility for this and strive to be better.
I leapt at the opportunity to engage with this forum, hoping there may be some answers. It was an invaluable talk, from which I took a lot. The following is a summary of practical suggestions provided by the speakers, but written here in my own words.
Practical strategies to support reconciliation:
Tell the full range of stories in law and justice. Dispossession and resilience is part of our history
Decolonise curriculum and academia
Be a part of it, engage with the community: engage in conversation, ask questions, walk side by side.
Fear of the unknown? Educate yourself. Get familiar. Own up to your lack of knowledge. Inform yourself and get rid of the ignorance.
Learn the languages. Language teaches you about a culture. Even a place or clan name can tell you so much about the history of that area or people.
Every day think of something Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. I interpreted this as a combination of all of the above strategies. As a process of engraining Indigenous history and culture consciously within our every day lives. I ask myself; whose unceded land do I live on, work on, design and build on? To whom do I owe the name of my suburb? What is the English translation of that Indigenous word? Immediately I learn so much.
My first step, is to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which I operate. So, sincerely:
I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the country on which we operate, the Wodiwodi people, of the Dharawal (Tharawal) Nation. I recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. I acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Jessica Bradley, Director
The forum was moderated by Culture Strategy Director Professor Tim Soutphommasane, the panel included:
Professor Jakelin Troy, Director of Indigenous Research, Research Portfolio
Liam Harte, Director of Indigenous External Relationship Development, Indigenous Strategy and Services Portfolio
Vita Christie, Program Manager, Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Sydney Medical School
Professor Simon Bronitt, Head of School and Dean, Sydney Law School
Reflections and renovations at a time of house isolation
Most of us are spending a lot more time at home recently, following the spread of covid19. As I shifted my desk homewards, I suddenly found myself unable to turn a blind eye on areas that were underutilised or collecting dust. The abandoned corners, the dumping grounds, the sad little plant begging for more light, less water or an altogether new pot. I looked to integrate home and work life while still maintaining the boundaries that allow me the capacity to relax at home, but meanwhile, these hot spots became unavoidable eyesores.
Not only myself, but people all around me were reconfiguring their homes; addressing dusty corners and dumping grounds; potting plants, rearranging furniture and encouraging every space in their house to work hard and for multiple uses. People everywhere are reconsidering their dwelling spaces with care and attention.
As architects we bring an understanding of space, volume and movement within it. We work closely with clients to identify how they use their building, as well as how they want to use it too. A small renovation can achieve so much. Freeing or simplifying movement within a space, providing natural daylight, capturing a cool breeze or framing a view. Like a song transition by a DJ, good design might go unnoticed in its facilitation of effortless space.
I can’t help but daydream, as I rehouse my plants in new pots, so too am I being generous with myself within the special space of my home (my castle).
Now is a great time to consider how your property might benefit from a renovation. At BASE we feel it is imperative for clients to spend time in their properties to understand how they use the building, and how they might want to. Where do they sit and have breakfast? Where is the sun in the morning? Where do the kids play? Where are the bottlenecks in the house and where could connections be forged? How can we facilitate a stronger connection to place?
Our project in Kanimbla, Blue Mountains used minimal interventions for maximum impact. We replaced and reconfigured sad, old windows, proposed minor adjustments to the interior layout and combined this with a new and considered materials palette. The same house footprint now includes an additional bedroom and bathroom. Still under construction, this renovation will strengthen the user’s connection to place within an exceptional natural location. New life is given to an existing house to better reflect the aspirations of new owners.
JB
Existing house felt removed from the landscape
Selective glazing will better connect the occupants with the natural environment, a feature of this site.
Building Architecture for Sustainable Environments and what that means to us
Director, Jessica Bradley will be tutoring the Sustainable Studio at USYD School of Architecture, commencing February 2019, and it got us reflecting on Sustainability, and what that really means to us.
A commitment to Sustainability is a moral undertaking. It is a commitment to a brighter, better, fairer future for all. A commitment to a bigger purpose.
Sustainability for us, is therefore an ethical approach to design and architecture, and in order for this to be holistic, we seek to embrace this commitment from the very foundations of our practice.
One cannot embody moral philosophies if they are not applied to all aspects of the business. For example, a practice founded on its ethics must commit to their staff. “Practice what you preach,” for staff culture and wellbeing is demonstrative of the core office values.
What else does sustainability mean to us? A building that is resourced locally and delivered in a collaborative environment embeds sustainability into the broader community, the architecture is a product of the end user, born from its context.
We believe that sustainable architecture is one that is site specific, flexible, adaptable, and beautiful. Architecture that will remain standing for 100+ years because it served its purpose better than anything else in its place.
USYD Feature "Work to live, or live to work?"
The University of Sydney have published a feature on architect, Jessica Bradley’s research topic for her Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship. Click here to see the article.
Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship
BASE director, Jessica Bradley, has been awarded the Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship (BHTS) by the Architects Registration Board, NSW.
The purpose of the BHTS is to enable recipients to undertake research which allows the “promotion and encouragement of education of students and/or graduates in architecture”.
“Work to live or live to work. How can purpose driven business be applied to an architectural practice?” The ‘purpose-driven’ business model is the answer to achieving both, a company that is defined by its principles, both financial and philosophical.
This research explores the practical implications of incorporating ‘purpose’ into a small to medium sized architectural business model.
For more information on the award, click here