By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
BERWICK-BASED building designer Warren Jenkins and the team at Design Unity have been shortlisted for a Building Design Award from the Building Designers Association of Victoria.
The team at Design Unity have been shortlisted for their ‘Arcadian’ project, a home for a growing family of four on an acre block in Warragul.
Mr Jenkins said they faced some tricky design elements with the triangular- shaped block and sharp angles.
“This semi-rural property had to have a design for a wedge shaped allotment,” he said.
“We designed it to suit the environment with the house wedged in the southern corner and fanning out towards the northern axis.”
The project also utilised Australian materials to maximise the effectiveness of the structure.
“We used recycled brick, sustainable Australian timber, polished concrete internally to give good thermal mass and used the same brick internally to trap the heat from the outside,” Me Jenkins said.
“There is also a simple open-plan kitchen in a central hub that connects all parts of the house together.”
The design firm is no stranger to winning awards, with more than 20 under their belt already, but Mr Jenkins said he didn’t design houses for awards.
“It’s not necessarily about the awards,” he said.
“It’s a good way to network and also compare with peers and also get feedback with what you are doing, but the client satisfaction is the real reward.
“Seeing a family or occupants live in the home; the awards are secondary to that.”
Mr Jenkins is also nominated for the People’s choice award along with fellow Berwick designer Sean Hamilton from Hamilton Design.
The winners of the Building Design Awards and People’s Choice Award will be announced on 30 July.
For more information about the awards or to vote for your favourite in the people’s choice category, visit, www.bdav.org.au.
