Marika-Alderton by Glenn Murcutt

I just finished a project for studio where we documented the construction methods through 3D computer modeling and a physical model (1:20 metric). My building was the Marika-Alderton house in Northern Australia designed by Glenn Murcutt.

The house was designed to withstand 200 kpm winds and is entirely naturally ventilated. This house was designed as a reaction to the fact that Aboriginal people are often housed in concrete masonry (CMU) buildings with poor ventilation, small windows, and poor drainage. They tend to be hot, dark, and are plagued with standing water. This has led to many conflicts between their inhabitants and the Austrailian government. Murcutt spent three years visiting and staying with his clients, an Aboriginal artist and her husband, to learn about traditional Aboriginal structures - of which there aren't really any other than long structures formed by bending a tree down and making a roof from bark and leaves to form a temporary shelter. The house is prefabricated and then assembled on site. This idea being that this design could be an alternative to the current government provided structures.

The model is made of basswood, MDF, homasote, polystyrene, and various glues and oil based paints. Most of the pieces are laser cut and the roof was vacuum formed from two molds I made. Everything else was either hand cut or fabricated in the woodshop.