CplusC

CplusC Tour the Opera House

2012-02-15T11:51+10:00

CplusC staff and friends kicked off 2012 with a Sydney Architecture Walks (SAW) tour of the Opera House. This was an opportunity for both our architectural and construction staff and their family and friends to spend some time together outside work hours but with a common interest. The day concluded with lunch and drinks at the Sydney Opera Bar and was very much enjoyed by everyone who attended. Thanks to Glenn Bell, one of our most experienced Site foreman and also avid sporting and architectural photographer for taking the images on the day.

Tags: bennelong, bennelong restaurant, cplusc, glenn bell, guillaume, jorn utzon, opera house, utzon,

Paddington Childrens Centre Shade Structure

2012-02-07T08:36+10:00

Topping off extensive renovations at the Paddington Childrens Centre by CplusC in early 2011 we have designed and built a lightweight shade structure to increase the overall available outdoor shaded areas for the children. The original works involved a $500k+ extension to the heritrage listed building and new sythetic turf and soft fall play areas throughout the grounds. Pre-fabricated in a warehouse rented specifically for the works, the entire project was completed in 18 days over the xmas holidays of 2010/2011 allowing the facilities to re-open without a hitch for 2011 and providing essential improvements to the centre.

Tags: building, cedar, childrens centre, paddington, shade sail,

Architecture as mesmerising as a Plane Crash

2012-01-19T12:11+10:00

When Frank Gehry completed his own home in Santa Monica he had produced a work of architecture that would lead to a career of exploration of architectural themes surrounding and dissolving what can arguably be described as the essential principles of deconstructivism. For me personally this was and still remains one of his most memorable works. It is the relationship between the existing external skin and the new internal structure, the use of utilitarian local materials and the expressive yet relaxed construction assembly that interested me the most. On the basis of Gehry’s portfolio of work since this project it was clearly about something else for him.

The Electric Music Project (or EMP) in Seattle is, like many for Gehry's works, stunningly sculptural. Unlike Rem Koolhaus/OMA Seattle Library built seven years before the EMP, the form has taken deconstructivism to astoundingly new heights of the arbitrary. If Derrida had the opportunity he would say that Gehry transposes his philosophy into built form. There are no vendors selling miniature models of the EMP like they do of the adjacent ‘space needle’ famously built during the 1962 World Fair. EMP salt and pepper shakers are yet to be developed and not even a sticker is available for sale inside the EMP (although I was distracted by the Kurt Cobain merchandise and the guitar shaped spatula). Perhaps the lack of merchandise is reflective of the difficulty the public have interpreting or even understanding of architecture of this nature. There is no logic, no reason, no rhythm nor rhyme in the architecture of the EMP. For a building that houses the musical history of modern rock, a music that evolved with and on the basis of the potential that electricity and amplification provided this genre Gehry has missed a most obvious cue. The freezing of a musical moment through newly discovered recording methods and the machination of rhythm itself may be a conceptual element to the design but they would be obscure at best. In many ways this building has taken a path of least resistance conceptually. There is no public/private interface at any point on the perimeter of the building with the exception of the 1962 World fair monorail that unceremoniously plunges through the ‘guts’ of the building exposing the worst of the detailing issues that the frequent the interface between envelope, services and entry points.

The problem with the aforementioned criticism is that this is a building that is difficult to look away from. Whilst not nearly as impressive as his Walt Disney Concert Hall in Las Angeles which adequately addresses the streetscape, it does command the viewer’s attention. The ‘skin’ invokes various levels of intrigue from differing vantage points. The Boeing software his office uses to generate these cladding systems with exacting shop drawings is clearly driving Gehry’s work. It is a deconstructivist notion in itself for the tool to dictate the terms for the architectural expression although I am unconvinced will stand the test of time any more than a Mac Classic has.

A short walk down the street is the $500M Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation building designed by lesser known NBBJ architects. Whilst I did not have the opportunity to thoroughly investigate this building the refined yet ultra conservative architecture appears almost dull due to its proximity to the EMP. This is a building that would usually impress me had I stumbled across it in isolation but the distraction of the EMP is simply too much for the NBBJ building to make an impact in this context. The EMP is as mesmerising and technically intriguing as a plane crash. If it says anything at all about the impact Gehry’s work can have on even the most sceptical of deconstructivist architecture I have a picture of the facade as my screen saver. I’ll let you know when the novelty wears off.

Tags: cplusc, emp, gehry, seattle,

Mudgee Magic

2012-01-12T18:24+10:00

This project was a home designed on a picturesque site in the winery region of Mudgee NSW. The verandah and pergola structure that face the view and the winery bellow create a skeletal structure for ornamental grape vines to grow up and over creating a natural shade structure for the occupants. The roof form continues to wrap up and over the ground floor licing spaces to the first floor bedroom wing like grape vines over a verical trellis.

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Lindfield Residence almost complete

2012-01-11T12:15+10:00

Attached are some preview images of the project which is a few weeks away from completion.

The concrete formwork boards were used as internal lining.

Tags: architect, bushfire, concrete, rfs,

Castlecrag Residence completed

2011-11-21T15:05+10:00

Our latest project, the Castlecrag Residence, has just been completed!

Floor-to-ceiling sliders open the ground floor up to the North and provide seamless transition between interior and exterior spaces.

Curl Curl Residence just completed

2011-08-11T09:54+10:00

All the elements came together in this Northern Beaches residence. Built on a budget and a tight schedule, this light and airy home defies the economy of its spend.

The project brief included two bedrooms with built-in robes, bathroom/laundry, an open plan dining, kitchen, living space, and a deck. The building responds to changing climatic conditions through natural ventilation in all directions, two integral fish ponds and vegetation that cool the summer breeze, and large awnings and timber screening to shade living areas whilst providing privacy.

Tags: architecture, curl curl, residential, sydney,

Concrete Concepts

2011-07-27T15:17+10:00

CplusC are working on their first project involving an extensive use of off form concrete. Whilst we have used this construction method in isolated areas of several other projects the opportunity to use the system stemmed from the need for this particular project to meet the highest bushfire attack levels specified by the Rural Fire Service.

Whilst generally a more expensive construction system than timber framed systems the material has unique properties that timber does not offer including thermal and aesthetic benefits. During construction we decided with our client to re-use the timber formwork as internal lining to the dining room and stairwell creating a great solution for both environment, aesthetic and budget. We will keep you posted as this first of its kind building takes shape.

Tags: architecture, building, concrete,