Supple Designs of Australia was given a unique brief by a residential client developing 900 lots west of Sydney: a building was needed to be a showcase to entice future homeowners. The developers wanted this building to make a bold architectural statement, highlight both a sustainable lifestyle and construction, and to be sturdy enough to be disassembled and relocated for the same purpose in the near future. Using prefabricated components, Supple Designs produced a well blended mix of modernist ideals, warm “homey” moments, structural expressionism, and a visible eco-friendly statement to serve as a prototype for a more environmentally friendly suburbia.
Inspired by the residential work of Jorn Utzon, the famous Danish architect who gave the world the Sydney Opera House, Supple developed a modular “kit of parts” using precast structural concrete panels, recycled timber, plywood, and glass. The straightforward forms that make up the building expose how simple materials can make a rich environment that blends with the Australian landscape. What’s more, they double as environmentally responsive elements (check out that rainwater collection gutter!)
+ Supple Design: Education & Display Suite, Macarthur Gardens
