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GALVANIZED FRAME feature of the C House by the sea

The multi-award winning 'C' house on Victoria's southern coastline has earned its name because it looks exactly like a slightly flattened alphabetical letter C in lower case, when viewed from its curved end perspective.

The holiday home with its bold but simple design, is the design of architect, Simon Hanson who has already been rewarded with a Commendation for his work in the Residential section of the Architect Victoria Awards and another accolade from BHP for the innovative application of the Colorbond steel which forms the wrap around roof, wall and exterior cladding of the structure.

The distinctive C shape of the house is achieved by seven curved welded steel frame sections which were fabricated from three individual sections of 250 Universal Beams by Melbourne steel fabrication contractor Stilcon. Stilcon engineer, Laszlo Puzsar said that it was "a really interesting job, not one of our biggest, but certainly challenging".

Each of the seven C sections is actually three individual sections rolled to different radii by Smithweld and then welded together to form the one frame. The UB Beams were heavy duty hot dip galvanized.

Each curved frame section has two supporting legs which elevate the building to give it views over the adjacent beach and offset it from the sloping elevation of the land immediately behind the house. The total building area is approximately 180 square metres inclusive of the front and rear decks, and provides three bedroom accommodation.

Simon Hanson said that galvanizing was critical to protecting the structure which is sited within about 100 metres of the beach front and bears the full brunt of the blustery, salt laden winds which blow off Bass Strait. A secondary aspect of the design was to make each of the seven galvanized frame sections as the immediately visible internal feature or spine of the building.

The open plan nature of the design is complemented by using distinctive natural materials and finishes which include richly toned blue gum timber flooring throughout the house, stainless steel kitchen finishes and a rock maple veneer for all cabinet works.'

Bold colours on the joinery, window trim and internal doors complement the white painted walls.
Victoria's southern coastline has a rugged winter climate and consequently considerable thought went into the insulation materials with R2.4 insulation encased in the ceiling and wall cavities.

Perhaps the final word belongs to the owner of the holiday home, who said she is delighted with the result.