56 DIGS.NET
| 7.1.2022
P R O F I L E | E D I T I O N O F F I C E
Federal House makes good on Edition Office's commitment
to sustainability. Relying on cross-flow ventilation as a cooling
mechanism rather than air conditioning, the highly insulated
home thrives in sub-tropical temps. "All spaces are naturally
ventilated with air drawn across the cooler pool surface and
into the upper surrounding verandah spaces, helping to stabi-
lize the ambient temperature throughout the home," notes the
studio. Conversely, a small open fireplace supplies all of the
heat the house needs. Also reliant on its own water supply, the
house utilizes an aerated wastewater treatment system and
includes infrastructure to utilize a PV solar array on the planned
future storage shed.
The interior of the house shows decorative restraint. Orna-
mentation is not muscular; décor does not assault the senses
from all sides, but nor is it edited down to pure minimalism.
Rather, everything appears to have a point. Furnishings are
artfully inconspicuous (insinuations of high style, not shouts),
and pieces with curves subtly soften the sharper edges of the
architecture. The lighting is a particular paragon of understate-
ment, lustrous but easy to overlook; barely there in some cases,
but more elegant for its ability to disappear into the larger style.
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The beauty of basic black is, of course, how effectively it highlights simplicity
while simultaneously providing a dramatic backdrop for the home's flourishes,
most strikingly in this case, verdant green views.
The house's monochrome palette, meanwhile, is one of its defin-
ing features. From its veil of timber battens on the exterior, black
is the dominant shade throughout, one that infuses the space
with a sense of calm across a range of materials, including
concrete and black granite tiles, selected for their tactile quali-
ties and longevity. The beauty of basic black is, of course, how
effectively it highlights simplicity while simultaneously providing
a dramatic backdrop for the home's flourishes, most strikingly
in this case, verdant green views. It is the uniformity of Federal
House that brings lightness to all that dark. Rare is the circum-
stance when one is so firmly in agreement with opposition.
Earth, water, a peek of open sky and a halo of natural light—the
house's clear elemental quality is essential to its experiential
one. All part of the natural order of things. As it is a window to,
and of, the world, but designed as a refuge from its outside
pressures. A true inner sanctum. That such a place can still
exist sets the heart racing and the mind once more to seeking.
One need not go all the way to Australia to find it, however;
Federal House is a case for creating calm much closer to home.
edition-office.com
