Landscape Arthitect, Judy van Gelderen was given a very detailed brief by the owners of a small, flat and uninteresting block of land in Canberra. They wanted to incorporate fourteen different ‘spaces’ or characters, including Japanese, Australian, an English rose garden and a vegetable garden. According to Judy it was very difficult to make it all fit.
The house
The modern house, designed by Judy’s architect husband, consists of three concrete slabs and two bridges over a water feature and a dry creek bed. The solar efficient building is constructed of brick veneer with a layer of corrugated iron on the outside which heats and cools very quickly, while insulation on the inside keeps the temperature of the house very moderate all the time. The colour scheme was chosen to be in harmony with the Australian landscape.
The garden
The garden was designed at the same time as the house, allowing pipes, wiring and computer cabling to be laid under the creek bed. The main features are the recirculating storm water through the dry creek bed, the rock and permanent water features, and the design of external spaces to reflect “rooms in a house”. Some of the plantings are still very young, but they will look better in time, as they become more established. The owners were very involved with the design and planting of the garden. The best part about it according to them is the permanent pool, because when you’re sitting in the house you can look to either side and see the water.
Contact information
Judy van Gelderen
Kiah Environmental Designers
Phone: (02) 6285 3836 & (02) 9299 0949
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