A vintage design
Building and development company The Hickinbotham Group and architects Berriman & Associates have designed South Australia’s Paringa Vineyard to blend in with its rurual surroundings, and winning a Housing Industry Association award for their troubles.
Using steel to create an innovative and award-winning manager’s residence and administration centre, they used BHP Zincalume for the frame, wall cladding and roof. “Because the building is in a rural setting we wanted to keep faith with traditional rural architecture,” says Hickinbotham’s William Csorba. “We didn’t simply want to simply relocate a metropolitan building - we wanted to keep it in sympathy with the rural, vineyard feeling of its surroundings.”
The building, which overlooks the vineyard, has a distinctive curved roof to complement its extensive use of steel. Architects Berriman & Associates chose wide verandahs to make good use of the winter sun.
The centre won the HIA’s 2001 South Australian award for the most innovative use of steel, with the judges impressed with the planning and orientation of the residence, its wide verandahs and quality finish.
“The extensive use of steel resulted in an innovative but functional structure” the judges commented. “Good use of curves complemented the roof and walls made from Zincalume.”
Csorba said steell also offered the designers functional advantages beyond the aesthetic appeal. “Of the two houses we built in the area - one using traditional materials and this one using Zincalume steel - the steel house has provided much better thermal properties,” he said.
Source: Building Products News.
9-Apr-2002