Double Act Steels Awards

Location:	Deakin, Australian Capital Territory
Country:	Australia
Client:	Rischbieth
Architect:	TT Architecture, Canberra
Products Used:	COLORBOND® steel ZINCALUME® steel
Awards:	HIA ACT's 2007 Home of the Year MBA ACT's Master Builders House of the Year

Giving an architect free rein to build two new homes on a large corner block proved to be an inspired move for a couple of Canberra retirees, who demolished an old house directly behind the Prime Minister's residence in Deakin.

Tony Trobe from TT Architecture not only designed the Rischbieth Houses on budget, but won seven prestigious HIA and MBA housing awards for his efforts, including the HIA ACT's 2007 Home of the Year, and the MBA ACT's Master Builders House of the Year.

Mr Trobe ascribes Rischbieth Houses' multiple award recognition to design that incorporates both form and function.

"The boldness of the curved steel roof forms allowed us to enclose dramatic volumes in the central spaces, and to use glass up to the roofline to enable the sun to penetrate the family rooms in colder months," he said.

The roofs, which have striking cantilevered elements, took just a day to assemble. They're made from Ritek® Custom Roof Panels, panels fabricated from sheets of COLORBOND® steel which sandwich specially profiled sheets of expanded polystyrene.

Mr Trobe said the dramatic rooflines were achieved through the flexibility of the steel roofing panels: "They're ideal for visually arresting design such as cantilevers because they require minimal structural support," he said.

He also used steel for maximum effect in the entry areas, where ZINCALUME® steel provides a subtle link between the walls and the roofs. Both the homes have three bedrooms and a study over two levels, but face a different side of the corner block, one north, the other west.

"The clients wanted to downsize, create a home suitable for retirement, and meet environmental goals," Mr Trobe said.

Despite different orientations, both living areas face north to capture the warmth of the morning sun, and are essentially one room thick, a means the architect used to connect the front and back areas of the home.

"The main challenge was maintaining good solar access on a corner block where the requirement for two street addresses competes with the solar objectives," Mr Trobe said. "The 'one room thick' philosophy promotes good cross ventilation, there are doors and windows on both sides of the living spaces, allowing them to perform equally well in summer and winter."

Mr Trobe is an advocate of roof and wall cladding made from COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel.

"We're working on about 70 projects of differing size and scale this year, and nearly all of those involve steel, it is striking, durable and low maintenance," he said.

Canberra based TT Architecture was founded by Mr Trobe in 1989 and now has nine employees.