Clever Design

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Winged Form

The cantilevered pool is finally filled and this slender winged house is about to launch!

Our extensive site analysis over this elevated large acreage identified the need to be located with the natural buffering of the prevailing winds and then the exact site was triggered by the alignment and axis of the home with a prominent distant island and the clients wish for a swimming pool.

This breathtaking vista is optimised with minimalist form and the abundance of natural light via Viridian’s superior double glazing set in Architectural Window Systems (AWS) high performance windows and sliding doors.

Looking forward to the final photo-shoot!

Monday, January 4, 2016

2016 CLEVER DESIGN PROJECTS

2016 is set for a bumper of a year with multiple Clever Eco Series projects being built for a diverse spectrum of clients & their briefs.

New one-off Clever Designs situated on challenging sites with unique resolves plus some designs for Builder's Own homes that push well beyond the quotidian will also come to fruition in 2016.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Houzz Feature - Right Pitch

Designing roofs for buildings I believe is one of the most interesting elements of the structure. From my perspective it's imperative that the roof is integral to the design and its function is obviously paramount. Comprehending the actual structural bones is a challenging process for persons who have never constructed complex roof structures. With the advent of BIM technology there will undoubtedly be many roof forms designed that are simply not feasible to construct! I believe that this practice is not what makes for a 'responsible practitioner'.

At Clever Design we have been using BIM software since 1995. The simplistic method back then was designing with 3D elements such as walls, slabs and roofs - not 2D lines. How simple is that!

Here is a link to a recent HOUZZ feature
https://www.houzz.com/au/ideabooks/35237189/list/5-types-of-sloping-roofs-that-hit-the-right-pitch

Project #5 is a home that I designed for a Builder's own home in 2003 and is also the cover photo of my book, Sustainable Clever Design. http://www.cleverpublishing.com.au/ Hard to believe that it was 12 years ago now and the contemporary design is still out there! If you look throughout all my projects the roof forms are integral to my designs. In fact, upon reflection of my 21 years of design I have never had a traditional hip and valley roof. At Clever Design we model every bone of the structural form.
Enjoy. Mike

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

30 Years of ArchiCAD & BIM Architectural Software

Check out the architecture of some of the leading firms using ArchiCAD & BIM software

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIYYhAEoaGo

Saturday, December 6, 2014

BDAV December News_'Chilled Form' Feature Profile

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Champion of Building Design

A celebration of the life of one of our Champions of Building Design

Vale, Dr Chris Reardon

Chris has been instrumental in what he has achieved in Building Design and leaves a legacy in Building Design – especially in the Sustainability arena. In 2009 we ran an ‘Eco Design Smart’ Series of seminars with Chris which left a massive imprint on the Tasmanian Building Designers. At those multiple sessions there were approx. 60 attendees including building designers and other factions, and to those people it was the beginning of their valuable learning in sustainable building design. It was interesting to note that Chris had a peculiar way of saying “I’m not preaching to you” but he was, however and no-one minded because it was his passion and ability to address and communicate at the appropriate level that got the message across. The seeds of valuable information were sown during the Tasmanian seminars and I’m sure that most participants would have embedded that information into their own design ethos.

And whilst Chris enjoyed a good debate with me, particularly on thermal mass, rating schemes, to name a few it simply wasn’t in Dr Chris’s persona to allow the topic to lie idle…

The Tassie Eco-Design Smart Series is just one small example of the excellence that he brought to the Building Design profession given his passion and need to educate as many people as possible.

Chris will be remembered as a Champion of Building Design throughout Australia with a massive eco footprint that has been stamped amongst our colleagues.

Cheers to Dr Chris.