A spectacular timber and stone home in Sydney has taken home the top gong at the Australian Timber Design Awards. Find out why.
Designed by fitzpatrick+partners, The Seed House was presented with the prestigious Excellence in Timber Design award at the 2019 Australian Timber Design Awards in Melbourne last week.
The home’s architect and owner, James Fitzpatrick, says The Seed House combines sensitivity to site and materials with an attention to detail that reflects his passions.
“Every bracket and screw is used to inform the overall aesthetic of the home, with materials selected to develop a patina of use and character with time,” Fitzpatrick says.
Constructed primarily from structural cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, glulam columns and finished with lining boards, The Seed House wraps the home’s occupants in timber.
The joinery and furniture were all made from timbers sourced from the bottom of the hydro lakes of Tasmania. Together, they form a backdrop to the owner’s collection of Wegner and Aalto furniture pieces, Danish ceramics and modern art.
The apparent simplicity of the stacked pod design belies the complex geometries, large spans, and cantilevers that required hundreds of hours of computer analysis to create the optimum structural and aesthetic solution.
This process led to the development of new detailing and fixing systems to address the unique Australian environmental and construction industry requirements.
Using the latest in engineered timber construction, “this healthy home imbues a sense of warmth and comfort,” Fitzpatrick says.
Fitzpatrick calls the home an “experimentation in construction and engineering”, but one that is also a “forever home” to a young family. “It will adapt and change as they do, forever.”
Eileen Newbury, program manager for WoodSolutions and communications manager for Forest and Wood Products Australia says The Seed House is the result of “relentless focus on achieving as close to perfection as is humanly possible, and we congratulate James and his team for their excellent work”.
Now in its 20th year, the Australian Timber Design Awards promote and encourage outstanding timber design.