A Study in Efficiency – Elbow Room sees Spacecraft Architects
As an iteration to its sibling project The View Finder, Elbow Room sees Spacecraft Architects refine their response to the landscape through rationalisation and a robustness, delivering on accessibility of design.
Referencing the simplicity of architectural styles in the surrounds of the site, Elbow Room takes heed from the vernacular of the town of Tokomaru where it is located. Opting for a compact, efficient and considered use of space, with a heightened level of detail and refined design, the clients chose to engage Spacecraft Architects to deliver on their vision for the site. As a study of interrogating costs from the offset, the team prioritised a rationalisation of both form, envelope and materiality.
Well versed at dealing with difficult and challenging terrain, Spacecraft Architects welcomed the flat nature of the site for Elbow Room. Allowing for a focus on the form, and a simple and linear relationship to its site, the iteration of their previous project The View Finder, sees Elbow Room as a related sibling. The resulting form echoes the original iteration, and the use of the simplicity of the rectilinear, with minor adaptations to suit both the client brief, and contextual conditions.
Under the one generous roof structure, sits both the dwelling and the carport structure, integrating amenity. The boldness of this asymmetrical roof gesture hints at the large internal volume, extending the shared living space upward. Strategically placed skylights then punctuate the ceilings, allowing streams of natural light inward. Internally, the use of exposed concrete flooring is teamed with underfloor heating and adds to the low maintenance and robust nature of the home. Cleverly planned joinery is intertwined with elements that aid and add value to the everyday use by its clients.
Elbow Room sits comfortably in its surrounds and allows the owners to open the volume to respond to seasonal changes. The façade folds open with sliding operable sliding doors, and the expansive covered deck area allows for the internal areas to expand to almost double their internal size. With bedrooms, bathrooms and storage elements lined along the north and eastern boundaries, an L-shape is created. This separation allows the mere 117sqm home to have its own integrated noise attenuation built into its bones, while also providing amenity concurrently. As a true dissection of the essentials, and a maximisation of rationalised output, Elbow Room takes efficiency to another level, and with Spacecraft Architects as the pilots of the journey, the results are enviable.
