Australian Architects Scoop Prestigious London Award
Photography by Brett Boardman
The Architectural Review is a London based journal in print since 1896, known as one of the eminent voices of critique and discourse in global architecture.
The project, Shelter @ Rainforest, was awarded a Commendation in this year’s competition. According to Catherine Slessor, Editor of the AR and Chair of the Jury, “This year we had nearly 200 entries to the AR House Award. The quality of submissions was extremely high, so the jury had a very difficult task in choosing the winning schemes. However [Marra + Yeh’s] project clearly stood out and the jury found it both impressive and convincing.”
Entries for 2012 were judged by a distinguished international jury, Brian Mackay- Lyons (Canada), Sofia Von Ellrichshausen (Chile) and Peter Salter (UK), chaired by AR Editor Catherine Slessor.
Shelter @ Rainforest, Malaysia
Shelter is located in the state of Sabah, in a remote inland location five hours drive from Kota Kinabalu. The project was commissioned by a private forestry company that controls 100,000 hectares of forest for a period of 99-years under a system of sustainable reforestation. Shelter provides accommodation for the Companyís manager, his family and a string of visitors. The design has been influenced by the vernacular longhouses of the area with their frugal timber constructions and also by Thoreauís Walden Pond with its message of simple living and self sufficiency. These considerations were prosaic as much as they were poetic - the house is low cost, autonomous (with solar electricity, biogas units and rainwater collection) and passively environmental - Despite the tropical latitude the indoor temperature peaks at 26C at high noon, a full 8-10 degrees lower than the outdoor environment.
The architecture combines local materials and labour with a high degree of structural engineering knowledge and modern jointing techniques. The notion of frugal inventiveness, well known to Australian farmers and Outback dwellers, was a key component of the design criteria. The design is modular and uses only two small timber sections, 100x50 and 50x50, addressing the reality of scarce resources and difficult logistics. Shelter is on one level the house of a family and its guests, living side by side and sharing the long verandah, where conversation is the only form of
entertainment. On another level it is a symbol of craft, care and environmental stewardship, an example of what can transpire when design thinking meets difficult circumstances.
Practice Overview
Hailing from opposite corners of the globe and educated in the US, the Sydney-based architects, Carol Marra and Ken Yeh, are gaining international recognition for their work and their particular approach Ė sensitive and considered yet infused with innovation. Marra + Yeh have been the recipients of a Churchill Fellowship, were long listed for the WAN 21 for 21 Awards 2012 and have received international press coverage for their projects. The architects will be attending the upcoming awards ceremony in London, including an exhibition of the winners and participation at the London Festival of Architecture 2012.
The project, Shelter @ Rainforest, was awarded a Commendation in this year’s competition. According to Catherine Slessor, Editor of the AR and Chair of the Jury, “This year we had nearly 200 entries to the AR House Award. The quality of submissions was extremely high, so the jury had a very difficult task in choosing the winning schemes. However [Marra + Yeh’s] project clearly stood out and the jury found it both impressive and convincing.”
Entries for 2012 were judged by a distinguished international jury, Brian Mackay- Lyons (Canada), Sofia Von Ellrichshausen (Chile) and Peter Salter (UK), chaired by AR Editor Catherine Slessor.
Shelter @ Rainforest, Malaysia
Shelter is located in the state of Sabah, in a remote inland location five hours drive from Kota Kinabalu. The project was commissioned by a private forestry company that controls 100,000 hectares of forest for a period of 99-years under a system of sustainable reforestation. Shelter provides accommodation for the Companyís manager, his family and a string of visitors. The design has been influenced by the vernacular longhouses of the area with their frugal timber constructions and also by Thoreauís Walden Pond with its message of simple living and self sufficiency. These considerations were prosaic as much as they were poetic - the house is low cost, autonomous (with solar electricity, biogas units and rainwater collection) and passively environmental - Despite the tropical latitude the indoor temperature peaks at 26C at high noon, a full 8-10 degrees lower than the outdoor environment.
The architecture combines local materials and labour with a high degree of structural engineering knowledge and modern jointing techniques. The notion of frugal inventiveness, well known to Australian farmers and Outback dwellers, was a key component of the design criteria. The design is modular and uses only two small timber sections, 100x50 and 50x50, addressing the reality of scarce resources and difficult logistics. Shelter is on one level the house of a family and its guests, living side by side and sharing the long verandah, where conversation is the only form of
entertainment. On another level it is a symbol of craft, care and environmental stewardship, an example of what can transpire when design thinking meets difficult circumstances.
Practice Overview
Hailing from opposite corners of the globe and educated in the US, the Sydney-based architects, Carol Marra and Ken Yeh, are gaining international recognition for their work and their particular approach Ė sensitive and considered yet infused with innovation. Marra + Yeh have been the recipients of a Churchill Fellowship, were long listed for the WAN 21 for 21 Awards 2012 and have received international press coverage for their projects. The architects will be attending the upcoming awards ceremony in London, including an exhibition of the winners and participation at the London Festival of Architecture 2012.
