Bush Fire Rebuild Malua Bay

This project is an affordable home recently completed to replace a family home lost in the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. Built by Apps Constructions, the bushfire rebuild is a simple, affordable dwelling with a split skillion roof, which creates interesting opportunities for raked ceilings, clerestory windows and a light-shelf feature.
 

The burnished concrete floor through the living areas is a practical choice for the semi-rural setting and works with the north facing glazing as an effective component in the solar-passive performance of this affordable home.

An additional bank of northern clerestory glazing sits up in the split skillion roof structure, the carefully designed eaves ensuring northern warmth enters the southern rooms during cooler months but is excluded during warmer times.
 

Internally, the unique light quality that is created by these clerestory windows is diffused and warm, a welcome counterpoint to the cool and often stark light available from southern glazing. Carpet also works to soften these southern rooms, where burnished concrete would not be exposed to the necessary solar gains to optimise its thermal performance.