Practical Cladding Makes A Design Feature For Inner City Rowhouses

Location:	Alexandria, New South Wales
Country:	Australia
Architect:	David Langston-Jones
Builder:	Joe La Rosa
Products Used:	LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® LYSAGHT MINI ORB®

A Sydney architect has created a pair of inner city residences which incorporates design highlights from materials he first used in tropical North Queensland.

"Alexandria's key attractions are that it is just a few minutes away from the Sydney CBD and is one of the last immediate environs of the city that has yet to be fully redeveloped," David Langston-Jones said.

"We were looking for a block of land for a house in 1999 when we found a vacant block in a back lane with a 16 metre frontage and a depth of 9.5 metres."

"After we bought it we realised that we could, if we were clever, put two homes on it, but only just."

David Langston-Jones took several years to design, win planning approval and erect the building which now occupies the site. Its exterior makes extensive use of LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® and LYSAGHT MINI ORB® cladding made from ZINCALUME® steel.

"Like many places in inner Sydney, Alexandria was a varied tapestry of light industrial, residential and corner shops," David said.

"Now the industrial areas have largely been taken over by apartment buildings, but there are other changes afoot and the whole suburb is in a state of flux."

"That gave rise to all sorts of architectural challenges, but our plan from the outset was to build a home in which we would enjoy living and to rent out the second residence."

"We didn't think about a market, we thought about ourselves and our own needs. The result is a pair of modern row houses which have the same density as the 19th century terrace house next door."

The use of LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® and LYSAGHT MINI ORB® cladding made from ZINCALUME® steel for the roof, front elevation and part of the living room ceiling hark back to Alexandria's earlier appearance, but also serve other purposes.

"It's such a practical, low maintenance material and that's what most of us with busy lives are looking for," David said. "I barely have time to adjust the louvres, let alone do any home upkeep."

"We were also able to use the grain of the LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® and LYSAGHT MINI ORB® cladding corrugations to highlight architectural aspects of the building."

David Langston-Jones wrestled with a design solution for the building's garage doors almost up to the day on which his builder Joe La Rosa needed to place an order.

"They have been drawn for years as rather bland items, but I thought there had to be more to life than that," David said.

"We had already used the idea of LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® corrugations in two directions on the rest of the elevation and after years of thinking about how to resolve the door design the idea came to me overnight.

"Because the door openings are perfectly square it was possible to divide the door surfaces into lots of smaller squares. I had used LYSAGHT MINI ORB® a lot in North Queensland when I practised up there, because the fine rib appearance is attractive."

"We sketched the design with LYSAGHT MINI ORB® corrugations running vertically and horizontally, then included three panels of sandblasted glass to provide light. The doors are just one moment in a much larger design, but they are an important moment."

LYSAGHT MINI ORB® cladding was also used for the front doors of the two residences, while the rear elevation to the garden has a 45 degree roof clad in LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® sheeting with ribs running horizontally.

"That rear roof is a big area, but running the corrugations horizontally puts it in tune with the sky and the horizon," David said. "Rainwater runs over the corrugations into a half round gutter, then runs down a chain into the drains."

The ceiling beneath that roof section is clad in LYSAGHT MINI ORB® sheeting as part of the design aim to give the feeling that the living room is an outside space, especially when the huge hanging glass curtain door is slid open.

Structural elements of the building are made from welded steel assembled by builder Joe La Rosa who had an extensive background in steel fabrication. He also supervised all steel cladding.