Torquay Concrete House by Auhaus Architects

Designing a concrete house for the owner of a concrete business provided the perfect opportunity to showcase the owner’s skillset and is perfectly suited to the coastal weather conditions of Torquay, Victoria. Concrete can be a divisive material when assessing sustainability credentials but it’s ability to provide a high level of thermal mass can’t be denied. Nor can it’s longevity or its raw beauty when left unfinished.

The archtects of Torquay Concrete House, Auhaus, have paired the concrete with natural hardwood providing a warm contrast and the rooftop garden helps to soften its rawness, plus it provides thermal insulation and the natural planting helps connect the house with the garden and the wetlands beyond.

Sustainability specs:
– Passive design
– High level of hermal mass from the concrete
– Timber framed, low-E windows
– Deep eaves
– Cross ventilation
– Rooftop garden provides insulation
– Insulated hydronic infill slab
– 10,000 litre underground rainwater tank irrigates the roofgarden and main courtyard
– Robust and low maintenance materials with minimal applied finishes
– Cabinetry from cedar and Paperock

Tightly hemmed in by suburban houses but backing onto wetlands and golf course, the house is treated as a walled sanctuary, opening up into itself, an internalised habitat with locally planted roof gardens and curated glimpses onto the wetlands.