tribe studio's bundeena house reinvents prefabricated australian 'kit-home'

THE MODULAR GARDEN HOME IN AUSTRALIA

with its latest residential project dubbed ‘bundeena house,’ tribe studio architects reinvents the prefab kit-home as a forward-thinking prototype. sustainably built and replicable, the holiday dwelling is sited along australia‘s beachside town of bundeena. the design embraces the australian aesthetic whilst maintaining a cost-effectiveness, an environmental-awareness, and support of local trades. bringing the outdoors in, the project is organized around a central courtyard so that breezy interiors can enjoy cross-views while opening onto a sunny garden.

images © katherine lu | @_katlu

a dwelling to exist anywhere

the team at tribe studio architects thoughtfully planned the bundeena house to consider the changing environment. with its coastal site defined by abundant gardens, the architects note that the house respects both ‘sea-change and tree-change.’ rising just one level, the house favors affordability and replicability over height. rather than rising vertically to capture views of the sea just over 300 feet away, the dwelling looks toward its immediate gardens and central courtyard. with this strategy, the house is not limited to its site. it can be easily recreated across a range of environments, from beach to bush to suburbs.

hannah tribe, principal of tribe studio architects comments: ‘we could have had glorious views from a second storey, however we felt that reinforcing the local vernacular of single storey timber cottages was important, and that an introspective garden diagram was preferable to outward looking in this context. this house is an attempt to achieve a high level of architectural and sustainable outcomes at a low cost. it is an experiment in delivering a more thoughtful kit home.’

built WITH MATHEMATICAL PRECISION

tribe studio plans its bundeena house to stand with mostly modular, prefabricated elements. the team’s mathematical rigor and strict organizational framework begins with a concrete slab and a modular timber frame that can span nearly 18 feet without the use of structural steel. meanwhile, the U-shaped plan responds to multiple orientations. the living and sleeping sleeping spaces wrap around the courtyard and open in the opposite direction toward the rear garden. the interiors are finished with a relaxed style and exposed timber to contrast the underlying mathematical rigor. the elements are left as raw as possible — there is no plasterboard, just crisply painted timber walls.

sustainable measures embedded in tribe’s philosophy are expressed throughout the house. eliminating the need for structural steel was both an eco- and budget-friendly choice. passive cooling and heating is achieved through the thermal mass of the concrete slab and by orienting the house to prevailing cooling breezes. all windows are double glazed and lightweight walls are heavily insulated. adding adjustable shading to east and west windows as well as awnings to north facing windows reduces solar gain. as a result, there is no need for air-conditioning, just ceiling fans in the bedrooms.

the low structure sits just 100 meters (330 feet) from gunyah beach