DEEPWATER HOUSE

Situated on the Southern side of Deepwater Road in Castle Cove, the Deepwater House project by Dieppe Design is a wonderfully light filled Modern Industrial home. The site slopes steeply towards the North Arm Reserve and Fig Tree Cove, providing a predominantly leafy outlook with glancing water views. To get the most from the beautiful landscape that the home is situated within, Dieppe Design sought to achieve a minimal aesthetic with a simple palette. However, the landscape contributed to the design in more ways than one, as the property’s Bushfire Attack Level is considered Flame Zone, the highest severity of a building’s potential exposure to bushfire.

Dieppe Design specified the beautifully textured PGH bricks to achieve the desired minimal aesthetic and simple palette, whilst also complying with the regulations surrounding homes built in areas of severe bushfire threat. Edward Dieppe, Architect at Dieppe Design wanted a building material with a strong textural element. It was important that the house had layers of texture, rather than a multitude of precisely sharp, smooth, and regular forms. Dieppe recalls the long process of choosing which brick was the right fit for this project.

“The PGH range was perfect as each brick has its slight differences, rugged edges and colour variation. The client and I agonised over the colour choice for a month, and even looked at blending bricks” said Dieppe. “In the end we were both delighted with the choice.”

The PGH Bricks range offers a timeless look and feel to Deepwater House which delivers a statement of Australian tradition and authenticity to the rich landscape upon which the home has been built. The project represents contemporary rustic architectural design whilst also achieving the authentic Australian heritage look and feel that is so often desired.

Essential to the open feel of the first floor is the central glazed courtyard. The courtyard connects the internal living spaces, filling them with natural light and creating a peaceful ambience. The bricks work in tandem with the flame zone steel framed windows to connect the interior living spaces with nature, opening the home’s interior out to the bushland and capturing the beautiful tree lined landscape from within.

Due to the Flame Zone Bushfire Attack Level, well-designed and constructed brick walls were critical to designing with an inherently high level of fire resistance when exposed to the extremely high temperatures and flames of a bushfire. The primary ingredient for a brick is clay which is fired at around 1000 degrees Celsius. These are temperatures as high or higher than those reached at the heart of a large bushfire for longer than it takes for the front of a bushfire to pass a given point. This logically points to bricks as non-combustible and the perfect choice for helping to protect a home from structural damage caused by bushfires.

Describing the project as “challenging on a number of levels”, Dieppe is extremely pleased with the outcome of the home. 

“What has been created is a modernist home with a distinct character and aesthetic.” 

Deepwater House cleverly combines the face brickwork with off form concrete, clear glass and custom steel to create a brave, raw, and clean Industrial Chic contemporary home which honours the raw, natural landscape surrounding the property. Whilst Dieppe had a very hands-on approach throughout the entire process, the execution of such an intricately detailed project required the support of a motivated and experienced bespoke home builder. Evan Peters, Director and Co-Founder at HP Constructions expressed that his team felt great excitement upon receiving the plans and were very pleased with what the bricks brought to the project.

“We were excited by the project from the first time we saw the plans” said Peters. “The rough textured finish and rich colour of the brick sits perfectly against the concrete, glass and steel features of the home.”

Peters also expressed that there was a great challenge in making the complex look simple. “Our team worked tirelessly to ensure that we seamlessly integrated face brickwork, off form concrete, steelwork and supersized glass. I now think they look amazing and cannot imagine the house with another façade detail.”

Additional reading is available on the requirements for building a home in an area with high risk of exposure to bushfire through our  Protect Your Home from Fire – Use Bricks blog.

For more information, visit www.pghbricks.com.au or call 13 15 79.