Innehållsförteckning för #73 May-June 2020 från Green Magazine

Whilst restriction of movement has caused frustration and devastation for many, spending more time at home brings with it opportunities for growth and experimentation. We are lucky at our place to have a garden large enough to grow veggies and keep chooks and we all now value the produce even more. We are setting up a propagation system for our cupboard full of seeds and our irrigation is being refined. Inside, we can no longer procrastinate when it comes to sorting and tidying; with some projects like re-grouting the bathroom on the list. But if you are considering more substantial alterations for your bathroom, we have some beauties. The homes in this issue offer a delightful mix, with sustainability and affordability at the forefront. A run-down warehouse has been converted,…

Seeds have always been an amazing part of growing your own food. To take a tiny woody capsule, often beautiful in itself, and push it into the ground, and then watch it develop with its own little plan into a plant that will not only feed you but produce more seeds to do the same again next year. Now, our modern world has changed in ways that make us appreciate the natural world and self-sufficiency more than ever; seeds have become valuable as a new crop of gardeners see the value in growing their own food. If you’re lucky enough to have seeds collected from previous years’ crops, now is the time to sort, share and sow. Using a reference like the Seed Savers’ Handbook by Michel and Jude Fanton,…

A passionate project between a water conservation advocate and a water management company still has a chance to be seen by the public – fingers crossed. Melbourne design firm Phillip Withers and Yarra Valley Water were invited to design an ‘Honorary Landscape’ this year for the 2020 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS). More than a year’s worth of planning, design, research, curated plant contracts and trips back and forth to nurseries went into this project – and then it didn’t happen. The show was cancelled two weeks before it was due to open. Phillip was a previous winner of the Award of Excellence for Best in Show, and this year they were excited about presenting a celebration of their turf – Point Addis, between Bells Beach and Anglesea…

Bayview House • 1975 Pittwater, Sydney Architect: Richard Leplastrier I grew up sailing a dinghy around Pittwater. Travelling slowly and exploring the green waters on the edge of Ku-ring-gai National Park, I sailed to an ancient landscape discovering secret inlets and towering eucalyptus that grew right down to the rocks lapping the tide. There were houses seen from the water that felt part of this landscape. I couldn’t place it exactly, but they felt like they belonged. A few years later, I discovered that these houses were the work of Richard Leplastrier. Approaching a low and long roofline though the trees, the Bayview House at first has a rampart quality to it. It almost evokes the protective kawara-bei walls of traditional Japanese houses that give little away from the street…

VIEWS This property’s knockout location overlooking Wallis Lake on the mid-north coast of NSW is likely the envy of many (this writer included). The task fell to Matthew Woodward Architecture to design a robust home that made the very most of the stunning surrounding landscape. Despite being a traditionally insular space, the upper level bathroom has received the same treatment; privacy needs are dextrously met by openable screens and strategically placed windows that still capitalise on views. Touches of timber with crisp white strike the right note between the built and natural realms. By contrast, the ground level bathroom possesses a slick, minimalist quality achieved by prefinished wall panels and a concrete floor. matthewwoodward.com.au Specs Tapware • Yokato fixtures in “Aged Iron” (ground level) and “Vecchio Organic” (upper level) by…

Perched in the upstairs lounge room of their timber-clad ‘long house’, we’re surrounded by the towering eucalypts and discreet bushy tracks that drew Oahn and Justin Harding to this pretty little pocket of Melbourne’s east near lush Laburnum. Even as Blackburn residents they didn’t know this area existed until discovering it on a walk to Gardiner’s Creek. They spent the next two years trawling six streets until they found a house for sale, and several more years in a claustrophobic 50s weatherboard disconnected from the undulating landscape that drew them here. Justin works in energy innovation, Oahn in design and marketing for a construction company. They took their time to understand the site, the area’s significant landscape overlay, and the functionality their young family would require. In July 2015 they…

Leafy Want more greenery in your space but not sure how to arrange it? For your consideration, we present: “GreenFrame”, designed by Kauppi & Kauppi and produced by Glimakra of Sweden. glimakra.com/en From Little Things … The folks at Botanopia are all about celebrating the magic of nature – and that’s a cause we can get around. With their handmade porcelain germination plates, you can watch the magic happen in real time by growing seeds in the comfort of your own home. Available in Australia at IVY MUSE. botanopia.com ivymuse.com.au Sanctum ‘Atmosphere: A Revival’ is a sauna installation by Sydney-based art and architecture collective, Studio Rain. Shown as part of Melbourne Design Week 2020, the work sought to promote wellbeing and revive bathing culture along the Yarra River. This project drew…

According to research by UNSW’s City Futures Research Centre in 2019, Australia will need 295 000 affordable rental homes by 2036. That’s 14 800 houses per year for low- and moderate-income earners to rent or purchase. In building affordable housing, developers can all too often prioritise yield over design and sustainability, providing a subpar standard of housing. The developer of this affordable housing project in Waratah, Newcastle, prioritised design and sustainability, engaging Anthrosite to design a house built with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). Using the prefabricated panels reduced construction costs, and established a sustainable, well-designed and profitable model for affordable housing. “The project needed to adhere to a budget to remain viable as affordable housing, but the client reduced costs by using prefabricated materials so he could spend more on…

The first day of our hike from Cradle Mountain to Lake Saint Clair commenced at Waldheim Chalet and it was immediately apparent that our guides, Chloe and Annie from Tasmanian Walking Co, were not only exuberant but highly experienced and knowledgeable about the track’s history, plants and wildlife. There are so many examples in Tasmania that distinguish it from mainland Australia. The topography and flora grabbed the attention of Austrian, Gustav Weindorfer and with the new love of his life, botanist Kate Cowle, they created Waldheim and pushed for the creation of a scenic reserve. “This must be a national park for the people, for all time,” Gustav proclaimed. By midday on the first stage our group was lunching at Kitchen Hut, high above the winter snowline, gazing at the…