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This holiday house is situated on the edge of a floodway and within a short stroll to the beach. Mature eucalyptus gums line the northern perimeter of the site providing a transition with the floodway and shade from the summer heat. Nestled on the low side of the hill, the block is protected from the strong winter winds.

Whilst the house caters for family holidays, it has also been designed as a retreat for parents when the children are not present. The southern pod can be easily closed off when not required.

A series of elevated ‘pods’ are linked with an interconnecting passageway / breezeway, with the largest pod positioned to reinforce the importance of communal living within a holiday house environment. This living area with its extended external space has primary position on the site to capture the northern aspect and to maximise the penetration of sunlight during winter. The cantilevered balcony extends the outdoor living into and amongst the canopy of the gum trees.

The building pods are lifted off the ground to capture the summer breezes, warmth of the sun in winter and maximizing the northern aspect to the native vegetation and floodway.

Inspiration for the lightweight cladding has been drawn from the eucalyptus gums on site and the old 50-60s shacks that once prevailed along the coastal areas. The installation of the cladding vertically and the steel blade fenestration reflects the vertical nature of gum tree trunks and with the timber cladding, it provides a textural contrast to the horizontal form of the pods.

A high level of collaboration was undertaken with the structural engineer, particularly regarding the balcony where the boundaries of structural stability were pushed to their limits. The end result is a slender structure where the cantilevered floor structure and vertical blade panels work together to form a rigid diaphragm.

An attached city cottage on a small allotment was the starting point for our client to develop their future city retirement home. The residence abutted another cottage which had been modified with an unsympathetic 1970’s addition.

The site, a narrow 5.77 metre wide block with rear access, a northerly aspect and a heritage streetscape, presented challenges to achieve the client’s brief and maintain sunlight access for the southern neighbour.

Along with the requirement for two bedrooms, two bathrooms and living area it was important for our client to have a “pride of place’ kitchen. Cooking and entertaining in and around the kitchen was fundamental to their way of life.

The original structure of the front rooms has been retained as a ‘bed sit’ with ensuite arrangement, maintaining the cottage presence within the streetscape. A master bedroom retreat including study, walk in robe and a bathroom is located on the first floor and positioned to balance the requirement for northern light, minimising the impact on the streetscape and maintaining light to the southern property. The kitchen has been carefully considered to achieve the client’s requirements and provides a focal point within the ground floor living area.

Like many cottages in the city area, the rear section was constructed with a light-weight material (corrugated iron) so the choice of metal cladding to the new extension reinforced this connection with the past. The form of the rear extension is a response to the desire to capture natural light to the dwelling and likewise to the adjoining property.

With such a narrow site it was important to create a sense of openness for the internal spaces; this is achieved by means of a large glazed panel and the inclusion of a two storey volume at the transition of the new and old sections of the building.

The client’s budget for the project was tight, resulting in numerous value management sessions being undertaken in consultation with the client, builder and architect. This process delayed the construction but with the collaboration of all parties a solution was agreed and the client’s requirements were achieved.

Sun shading of glazed windows, operable windows and a high level of thermal insulation has reduced the requirement for additional heating and cooling – a point that our client is particularly pleased about.

Swanbury Penglase was engaged to further develop a previous Architect’s concept plan for the expansion of Beerenberg’s entire Operation Facility. The iconic South Australian food condiment brand required a design solution that factored in future expansion stages along with the overall aim of consolidating all its business operations within the one manageable area.  The development involved an extensive cut and fill exercise of rural land at the rear of Beerenberg’s existing food processing facility to make way for a new state of the art warehouse distribution area, food processing facility and office administration space.

Occupying the rear of this picturesque Adelaide Hills site, the facility comprises approximately 2,060sqm of warehouse distribution, 2390sqm of processing area and 825sqm of offices administration spaces.

The substantial size of the development combined with its high profile location required a creative approach to the external facade. Colour inspiration was drawn from the Adelaide Hills setting and the work of Hans Heysen, with colours selected from an abstract digitised image of one of his works. The result is a combination of thirty colours applied in a shifting palette that changes, depending on where the building is viewed.

Internally, administration has been located to take advantage of the iconic and picturesque setting, with the open office spaces and boardroom looking across the original farm resulting in a stunning outlook from the boardroom and one that encapsulates the Beerenberg brand.

The brief for this project was to create a family home which maximised the stunning views down the valley and the native bushlands located on the eastern corner of the site.

The design philosophy for the house drew inspiration from the structure of the rocky outcrop located around the site and the desire to capture the natural beauty of the site.

The backbone of the house (living areas and secondary bedrooms) is angled to follow the contours of the land and is transparent in appearance to maximise the views down the valley.  The master bedroom pod is skewed at an angle away from the main house to address the dense bushland and provide a more intimate and private aspect away from the panoramic views. The obtuse angle between the two building elements is reflective of the structure of the slate rock formation located within the region. The angular stone walls through the residence are reflective of stone veins which run through the site and anchor the building into the landscape.

As our clients settle into their new home, they are thoroughly enjoying the natural wonders that this site offers them.

Swanbury Penglase has undertaken master plans for a number of council tourist and caravan parks providing planning options for the park facilities. These include the Clare Caravan Park and Riverton Caravan Park for Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council and the Kapunda Tourist Park for Light Regional Council.

The master plans establish a guiding framework for future development for the sites and provide recommendations for staging of works. Key areas of focus include:

• improvements to the park entrance ensuring site access and signage is clearly visible from the street and has a high level of amenity
• rationalisation of traffic movement
• development of under utilised areas
• opportunities for additional accommodation facilities
• reorganisation of the site to improve functional site relationships
• siting options and the use of landscaping to improve the privacy of accommodation facilities
• improvements to directional signage and wayfinding
• park security

This planning strategy involves the organisation of the site into different precincts defined by the landscape design. The aim of this is to provide greater choice for accommodation within different landscape settings whilst offering diverse settings for recreational and leisure activities. Distinct areas included aquatic, woodland, grassland and gardened settings.

The Adelaide Shores Caravan Park is located within the West Beach Recreation Reserve, a coastal suburb of Adelaide. As part of a wider strategic plan undertaken by Adelaide Shores, the completed master plan sets the framework for future development that will further enhance the park’s amenity and attractions. New development will look to build on the range of family friendly activities already on offer within the Adelaide Shores precinct.

The master plan establishes a schedule of refurbishment and replacement works to ensure that facilities are regularly updated. A priority for future development is to expand the range of accommodation options and styles to provide broad market appeal.

In preparing the master plan, Swanbury Penglase undertook research including desktop investigations and site visits to identify best practice and current trends.

The completed master plan is the result of an open consultative process which allowed all interested parties to have input into the conceptual development of the Caravan Park.

Execution of the master plan will ensure that Adelaide Shores Caravan Park maintains its reputation as one of Australia’s leading tourist park destinations.

Subsequent to the delivery of the master plan, Swanbury Penglase is assisting Adelaide Shores in the implementation of the staged works. The current stage includes the construction of 23 new cabins, relocation of 4 existing cabins and a shared central recreation area.

A typical sandstone villa located within an inner city suburb provided the basis of a family home, but the 1970’s rear addition lacked the functionality and needs for a contemporary living space for both adults and children.

The original rooms of the villa comfortably provides the formal living and bedrooms for the owners, the new extension creates the living and entertaining spaces for the family.

The living pavilion is separated from the original sandstone villa with a lower level linkage structure, acting as a transition from the formal villa to the contemporary open living space. The pavilion has been deliberately angled to contrast the strong formal lines of the villa and the angular plan and angled roof creates further interest to this volume of space providing an openness to the external entertainment areas and the teenage retreat.

A warm palette of materials is expressed with the use of the Gosford feature sandstone, timber veneers, limestone plinth and polished concrete floor. The stone wall forms the backdrop to the main living space and continues externally to provide an anchor between the old and new structures

Maintaining their position at the forefront of developments in education paradigms, responding to the needs of the global village in a technology driven society and preparing senior students for potential tertiary educational environments were Immanuel College’s major drivers for the design of the Margaret Ames Centre.

The plan form for the new building successfully expands upon and integrates with the existing senior school spaces allowing the project to meet the growing spatial and educational needs of the College. Designed over two levels, the main entrance and administration areas address the main oval and present a dynamic and bold public face. This positioning allows greater connections with new multi-levelled pedestrian links to adjacent buildings.

The new building embraces a modern innovative teaching philosophy which is research-driven, active and student centred. Learning spaces are both formal and informal, promoting creativity and flexibility, and allowing for multiple purposes concurrently so that students may undertake a range of activities as individuals or groups.

The complex and fluid shapes of the building forms, including the sculpturally shaped atriums create dynamic and light-filled breakout spaces, which combined with the integration of the latest digital technology contribute to uplift this building as an inspirational educational facility.

https://vimeo.com/66698664

Swanbury Penglase has been providing architectural services to Coles Supermarkets (including Bilo) since 1995.  Over this time, we have undertaken more than 50 projects in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.  The scope of these projects includes the delivery of store renewal programs, major store refurbishments, store extensions and modifications, new store fit-outs and minor works packages.

Swanbury Penglase delivers value from the project conception to completion, including design, documentation, the selection and coordination of external consultants, calling and evaluation of tenders, contract administration and post construction services.   Our architects work with Coles’ internal project managers and store planners to ensure that projects deliver quality and consistency in line with Coles’ internal design brief and brand standards.

Our demonstrated capacity to deliver high-quality and timely services in the context of construction projects within operational supermarkets ensures that the client and their customers experiences minimal disruption during the construction process.

Located on North Terrace ‘Old Parliament House’ is one of the most significant historic buildings in South Australia. For a number of years it had been unused and its condition was deteriorating with the passage of time.

A project was initiated to carry out essential conservation works and make the accommodation provided within the building accessible to and usable by the adjacent Parliament House to address identified shortage of meeting rooms and offices.

As a result of this project much of the original building fabric has been conserved and returned to pristine condition and where necessary new contemporary elements have been inserted to facilitate accessibility to and connectivity between the multiple levels within Old Parliament House and to Parliament House itself.

A new ‘entry’ from North Terrace has been created providing a second major entry point to the Parliament House complex which is compliant with disability access codes, provides convenient access for members and parliamentary staff and is a gateway for visiting school groups.

The refurbished building incorporates a high level of both electronic security and acoustic privacy to meeting rooms and offices.

The building works included replacement of all services incorporated within the existing building fabric in a manner which did not impact on the original heritage fabric and brought the spaces up to date in terms of communications and recording technology.

The redevelopment includes a landscaped courtyard space retaining the existing century old palms and in turn provides an outdoor gathering space for parliamentary functions.

The ambition of this project was to bring together an existing kindergarten and an early learning centre relocated from an existing site. Service delivery was realised via the innovative reuse of an existing technical studies building at the Ingle Farm Primary School.

An extensive consultation process involving all the stakeholders, leading to the development of a return of brief which expressed the client’s aspirational and functional requirements.

Planned to respond to Reggio Emilia Design principles, the design utilises the height and form of the existing structure including roof lights to bring natural light into the heart of the children’s centre and to create covered areas on the perimeter of the building with large areas of glazing and openings to enhance internal to external interaction.

The plan allows for individual, small and large group activities within an amiable environment that presents different opportunities for challenge, curiosity, experimentation, discovery and observation.

The external spaces of the new facility enhance and complement the new centre, created in what was formerly a redundant classroom space. The design team worked closely with staff to ensure that they had easy access to the external facilities, along with good visibility throughout the space for supervision. It was fundamental to the design to provide flexible adaptive spaces that could be used in different ways daily and change over time.

A diverse palette of colourful and aromatic plants in the garden beds and different textures on play surfaces such as bark chips, compacted gravel and grass provides contrast and interest, encouraging unstructured play and imaginative interaction with nature.

A significant gradient has been used to advantage with the incorporation of a swale to filter stormwater runoff and to provide another exploration opportunity, whilst attention has been given to ensure the entire space is safe and accessible to everyone.

Designed to provide normalised accommodation for people experiencing a mental illness, the Supported Accommodation facility takes the form of 20 self- contained single bedroom residential units arranged around a central shared garden / barbeque area. An administrative unit configured to match the residential units provides office and overnight accommodation for support staff.

Each unit is designed to be easily maintained and managed by a single person and consists of an open lounge (large enough to accommodate overnight guests), kitchen with adjoining dining area, a bedroom, bathroom and laundry.  A neutral material and finishes palette is used throughout with colour bursts implemented in the loose furnishings.

For the loose furniture and furnishings three different packaged options were prepared for each unit and presented to the consumers. As part of this process each consumer was invited to select their preferred package for their own individual unit.  This proved most valuable as consumers were able to be involved in the design process and gain a true sense of ownership for their dwelling.