Architectural fiction is the new uncharted territory for architectural exploration.
In this remarkable house for Claire Brunner and Mark Pitman, a Melbourne couple who are foster parents, a fictional world has been created which provides rich food for the imagination of visitors and passers-by.
The representational form of the building is fully resolved with the practical side of things, which includes sensor-controlled ventilation, double-glazed windows, recycled materials, grid-connected photovoltaic panels, rainwater storage, solar orientation for winter heating, shading for summer, and a grey water recycling system. The eyes of the Gryphon open on summer nights to exhaust warm air, drawing replacement air down the steel chimney tail, chilling it to below ambient air temperature on clear nights when the metal radiates directly to the night sky.
The front of a pre-existing Edwardian villa is retained in order to avoid the greenhouse gas generation that would have occurred due to demolition and new construction.
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