Meeting Rigid Constraints: How Bayview House Overcame Bushfire and Ecology Challenges

 

 

The project Specification

Designers:	Aatos Design, Northern Beaches, Sydney
Project Type:	Residential
Location:	Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW
Material:	US49 Terrace Decking Boards, colour Ipe

 

Bayview House, completed in 2022, is an architecturally designed 270 sqm home on a 4000 sqm block.  Located in native bushland, it sits on a sloping, bushfire-prone, ecologically protected area in Sydney’s Northern Beaches and was constructed to house a family of four plus guests.

The designers, Aatos, a design and project delivery studio in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, specialise in crafted and creative spaces that enhance their customers’ lives while fitting perfectly in with their surroundings.

For this project, they were tasked with the feasibility and design conception through procurement, value engineering, contract management and cost control.

Aatos Design completed this bushfire-resistant home for a total project budget of $5,000/sqm, all-inclusive (e.g. approvals and land clearing through to handover of the building and its hard fitout).

DJB Constructions and Finisi Services brought their vision to life, well known for their quality workmanship and attention to detail.

Seamless Integration with Nature: Bayview House’s Stunning Design Concept by Aatos Design

 

The design, conceived as a pair of vertically staggered forms, layered one upon the other and angularly offset provides a seamless interaction between the home and its immersive, native rainforest surrounds.

The interior of Bayview House offsets its brave external structure and facade with warm, timber-lined floors, ceilings and cabinetry, juxtaposed against deep, natural hues that further connect the building with its natural setting.  The result is a modern, luxurious residence that looks right at home in its environment.

The building is constructed from 18 tonnes of structural steel to support its suspended concrete slab floors, high insulating EPS panel roofing, all clad in a skin of BAL 29-rated composite cement façade sheeting, and of course, uses NewTechWood’s BAL 29 composite decking.

Creating a Bushfire-Resistant Luxury Home

This magnificent home boasts a northwestern aspect with a large 85 sqm balcony on the upper level, wrapping along the western façade with views across the forested valley below.  It continues around the northern facade, connecting seamlessly with the terraced lawn.

An additional eight sqm balcony sits comfortably on the lower level, cutting into the rock face and providing refuge with a private, sun-drenched outdoor shower.

 

 BAL 29 Composite Decking

The NewTechWood decking involved 150 of the US49 Terrace range boards in Ipe – a popular colour due to its ability to complement many other colours.

NewTechWood was chosen after an exhaustive market search for a cost-effective, long-lasting, low-maintenance, bushfire-rated solution.

The key feature that ultimately resulted in the selection of NewTechWood’s US49 Terrace range was the combination of:

• The benefits of the mini gap clip, provide small gaps between boards of 1.5mm – a 3mm max gap is required to satisfy the bushfire requirements of this home, whereas most clips on the market offer a 5mm gap, and
• The allowable min ground clearance of 40mm (over concrete) enabled the decking to be installed on either an aluminium subframe on pedestals or, as chosen for this project, an H4 subframe on pedestals.

Special requirements for this construction involved the need to meet rigid and conflicting constraints of bushfire and ecology, so they researched all BAL-29 timber species. While all these constraints were not fully understood when the land was purchased and the budget established, they were all ultimately met without impacting the client’s forecast spend.

Building in Bushfire-Prone Areas: NewTechWood’s Composite Decking Solution for Bayview House

The ecological significance of the area, and the application of related bushfire regulations by the assessing bodies, required iterative and collaborative work to refine the design of some key features of the dwelling and its supporting infrastructure (including driveways, BAL 29 composite decking, bushfire-resistant materials, stormwater management and landscaping).

Aatos Design and their construction teams’ impressions about using NewTechWood were positive.

In addition to the ability to have a mini gap between deck boards, they were pleased with the price point of NewTechWood, which they found was on par or better than products of equivalent quality.

Ultimately, the combination of price, aesthetic appeal, and technical capability won the day.

 

Contact our friendly team for advice if you are designing or building in a bushfire area and have BAL 29 decking options.