The Houses of the Future exhibition, which recently finished at the Sydney Opera House marking the end of the Year of the Built Environment (YBE2004), attracted crowds in excess of 75,000 people.
The exhibition, billed as a highlight of Australia’s Year of the Built Environment, has been the most successful YBE event of the year.
NSW YBE secretariat director Chris Johnson was pleased with the large public interest. “There were 75,000 people who specifically toured the houses, gaining insight into the future of housing design in Australia”, Mr Johnson said.
The six houses were each made of a different material, including steel, clay, concrete, timber, glass and cardboard, and promoted high-quality design and environmental sustainability.
The houses were designed by some of Australia’s leading architects including Tone Wheeler, Peter Stutchbury, Ken McBryde and Stephanie Smith, and Peter Poulet. The exhibition, co-ordinated by Chris Johnson, involved some 180 sponsoring organisations, and was headed by builder Multiplex and various industry associations and universities.
The Cardboard House attracted a great deal of interest in recycling, permanency and affordability. The house withstood the harshness of the Australian climate, surviving five days of rain, gail force winds and 40-degree temperatures during the exhibition period.
The Glass House was a pavilion that demonstrated the use of nano-technology, with self-cleaning glass and a high level of thermal control despite having glass on all six sides.
The Timber House reversed the idea of the traditional roof form, to create an open deck in the middle of the house, collecting water from the continuous external skin that was simultaneously roof, walls and floor.
The Concrete House used standard pre-cast concrete pipes to create a flowing series of rooms between two flat concrete slabs. The roof garden was used to filter recycled water.
The Clay House was a courtyard house with a new lightweight ventilated terracotta product serving as the outside skin, reversing the normal brick veneer. An internal solarium provided light to the north-facing house, and mobile furniture could be moved into any room.
The Steel House arrived on just two trucks, one for the house itself and one for the large overhanging roof that provided solar and rain protection. Australian-designed furniture and artworks in steel were featured throughout the house.
The six houses will be installed at Sydney Olympic Park from February 2005, becoming an interpretive centre for schools, universities, the public, and industry bodies throughout the year.