Glass House Mountain House emerges

2008 Christmas Wrap Up

2008 has been another big and exciting year for Bark Design Architects. Our Christmas and New Year greeting card sampled several of the years highlights along the graphic lines of 'Abundant' - Australia's architecture exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale held in September this year (Bark exhibited work in Abundant).

 

2009 is also set to be big, with the completion of several new projects and the construction of 'Stage 2' of our Noosa Hinterland Bark Design Studio - an experiment in concrete, timber, glass and water....

Architecture - Inspired by Australia

Bark Design Architects are very pleased that the Bark Studio and the adjoining Dunlop Webb House in the Noosa Hinterland are two Queensland projects featured in Architecture - Inspired by Australia, a new book by Mint Publishing featuring some of the most beautiful and considered buildings by twenty two australian architecture practices.

"Following the success of 'Architecture inspired by New Zealand', comes the next book in this series combining the best of residential architecture together with spectacular and unique landscapes..... designs that are featured in the book have been largely informed by the nature of the environment, whether it is red plains, steep escarpments, lush gullies, rolling woodland or golden beaches.....Twenty-two top Australian architects, discuss what drove their design and the factors they took into consideration concerning site, materials and approach. The designs they came up with are a unique and sympathetic response to the different environments."

Architects featured include: Durbach Block, Peter Stutchbury, Nick Turner, Ian Moore, Philip Cox, Glenn Murcutt, James Grose, Shane Thompson and Daniel R Fox, Lindy Atkin and Stephen Guthrie of Bark, Max Pritchard, Con Bastaris, Craig Rosevear, Stuart Tanner, Scott Balmforth, Gerard Reinmuth, Richard Blythe, Reno Rizzo, Kerstin Thompson, Stephen Jolson, Tim Jackson, Jon Clements, Graham Burrows, John Wardle, Adrian Iredale, John Nichols and Dale Jones-Evans.

Woodgate Beach House

Bark Design Architects are currently in the construction documentation phase for a new timber beach house at Woodgate, on Queensland's Capricorn Coast, to commence construction early 2009.

During the design process Bark have explored the essence of some traditional Sri Lankan design in a contemporary context to align and compliment the memory, experience and culture of our clients homeland, and are currently developing a series of perforated compressed fibre cement screens to articulate and moderate light on the project.

'Beach Access' Display Pavilion on drawing board

Fresh off the drawing board at Bark Design Architects is a new Residential Sales and Display Pavilion for a large residential community, coastal site in Northern New South Wales. The design works with ideas of experience and memory of 'being at the beach' to develop a 'journey' of particular coastal experiences in the building.

Essentially, this building is about ‘framing’ the potentials of living as a natural sustainable casual lifestyle proposition.

Bark Design Architects design intention is to connect the experience of the building to the broader coastal landscape, providing a memorable experience of possibilities of the seaside landscape using topography, endemic coastal vegetation and dappled light and shadow.

Publish or Perish

Bark Design Architects believe in a lesson learned from Architect John Mainwaring regarding the scholarly practice mantra of "Publish or Perish"...... our list of published articles is growing.

Bark talks Practice with Young Architects Group

Friday night saw Bark and James Russell share the 'soap box' in their In Practice talk to young graduates. 30+ architecture graduates and young architects gathered informally on the steps at architect James Russell's Fortitude Valley office to hear James and Lindy, Steve and Phil from Bark Design Architects talk about the formation, growth and vibe of their respective offices as one in a series of recent YArch organised 'In Practice' talks which are designed to expose recent graduates to some real elements of architectural Practice.

Four Bark Projects Currently under Construction

The China Beach House at Sunrise at 1770, Capricorn Coast Queensland.

The Glass House Mountain House at Maleny, Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

The Coast Apartments at Sunshine Beach, Sunshine Coast.

The Noosa Visitor Information Centre for Sunshine Coast Regional Council and Tourism Noosa, Hastings Street, Noosa Heads.

Glenn Murcutt Masterclass in July 2008

Our 2008 Glenn Murcutt International Masterclass at Riversdale.

Engaging with the fragility and splendour of a unique Southern New South Wales site to discover ways of building reconciliation into the landscape, which both cradled and tortured the great Australian painter, Arthur Boyd.

The sharing and wisdom of all the tutors was outstanding. Their projects moving in so many ways. Collaboration in design groups with wonderful people from across the planet was at once challenging and inspiring.

A week of understanding the site at Riversdale and a week of intense collaboration at the University of Sydney architecture studios to demonstrate our design approach for 'Reconciliation'.

Drawings, sketches and models were produced in abundance and many emotions were aroused. A truly memorable experience....

Discovery Coast 'Bush' House

Our Discovery Coast 'Bush House' near the Town of 1770, designed for a repeat client and friend, and recently bought by a couple of Brisbane architects, will be a featured project in a new book published by Thames & Hudson.

“A Place in the Country: New Rural Architecture in Australia and New Zealand” by Stephen Crafti is due out next month.