Sky Pavilion

Art Sketch 1

Those who have been following my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/EthaArchitecture) may have noticed that I am undertaking a design competition called Sky Pavilion. It is to be set into a public garden space in London, England. I started a sketched in my sketch book and created these shapes/images.

Art Sketch 2

I like the way they flow and contrast and how they create unusual shapes and almost spaces which could be built. I was lead by my eye tried not to think much about what shapes I was drawing. It was quite fun.

View of clouds and sky taken from my house earlier this month.

Then we had a storm sweep across our house and I managed to take this photo, and I thought perhaps I could create a feeling of what the sky is to us here in Australia to show it to those living in London. I combined the artistic sketches that I had been drawing with the photo of the sky and came up with this artistic interpretation of the sky. I really liked how the image felt so I have explored how it could influence the Sky Pavilion.

An artistic interpretation of the sky photo.

Perhaps the billowing clouds could be soft curved seats that people could sit/lie on to look up at the sky? The wispy sky in the background could rise up above the seating creating shadows and filtered light below and perhaps something to look at on one of those overcast London days lol.

Sketch of seating with covered structure rising above.

A ramp leading up to the sky could have a sunray balustrade leading views from the ground back up towards the sun.

Walkway leading to the sky and incorporating rays from sun sketch.

Here I have played around with bringing the element together into a Pavilion Space. I don’t think we are at the final design yet but I like the direction that its heading.

Arranging the Pavilion- possible plan

This is hopefully what the Sky Pavilion would feel like if the plan is used. What do you think? I would love some input!!!! Please leave a comment below or comment on my Etha Architecture facebook page as I would love to know your thoughts……

Sky Pavilion Sketch, what it might feel like….

Sketches into 3D

I received some big news yesterday that I’m really looking forward to sharing with you all but I have to wait just a bit longer before I can post it, for now though I thought I would show you the importance of sketches.

Here are some sketches which I worked on whilst in the initial stages of the buildings design, and then how they turned out when I made the 3D model. I find sketches are great way of confirming what’s in my head and its really nice to see that when its modeled that the look and feeling of the space matches what I was thinking of.

What do you think, do you every sketch anything before you make it? A Birthday Cake, or dress or your garden layout?

Curved Wall Opening Sketch

Curved Wall Opening 3D

Curved Table Feature Sketch

Curved Table Feature 3D

Sunflower Cake With Butterfly

Sunflower Cake With Butterfly

It was recently my mothers birthday and as she is our sunshine I made her a Sunflower Cake With a Butterfly and Pop Cakes to celebrate with her. It is a Red Velvet Cake with a chocolate butterfly, and was so Yummy!! She loved the pop cakes the best, so did my daughter, whilst my sister couldn’t leave the butterfly alone. Apparently she wants just chocolate for her birthday and as that is coming up soon I have a great idea to surprise her with- hopefully you will all see it soon too….

Sunflower Cake

Sunflower Cake Detail

Sunflower Cake With Butterfly

Sunflower Cake With Butterfly

Sunflower Cake With Butterfly

Sunflower Cake With Butterfly

etha architecture

New Gisborne House- External Perspective

So I thought I would share with you some info on my business- etha architecture. etha architecture is located in the picturesque Macedon Ranges, north west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Slightly elevated compared to Melbourne, we get quite cool winters where everything becomes beautiful and green, but like most of Victoria in February all the grass lands are now yellow and dry (except for the black left by the recent fires). This diversity of colour throughout the seasons adds to the beauty of the region along with the mountain ranges and areas of bushland, grass lands and charming rural towns.

New Gisborne House- External Perspective

Having lived here most of my life and knowing the regions character helps immensely when designing buildings to be located here. From implementing sustainable principles, to capturing the magnificent views and designing to the latest Bushfire construction protection principles the buildings I design in our region directly relate their site. This is what I am passionate about. To achieve a building which enhances the quality of life relating to the exact location which it is being placed is paramount. This is etha achitectures first principle- designing to suit the site.

New Gisborne House- External Perspective

As you can see from images of some of the projects I have been recently working on I am passionate about contemporary architecture. I do like and respect architectural styles which have preceded present styles, yet they are of their own time and place.

New Gisborne House- Internal Perspective

The best part of studying earlier architecture styles is learning from them- what worked. Like the large shaded verandas which surround the beautiful old rural cottages, such a great way to reduce the effect of the hot summer sun from over heating the house. The beautiful high ceilings of the Victorian Terraced townhouses which line the streets of inner Melbourne make the small rooms feel much bigger and more comfortable and enjoyable to live in. The decorative fenestrations of the Federation buildings in inner Melbourne suburbs which decorate the house and provide character. The challenge for etha architecture is to take the elements of these styles and interpret them into a building which suits the needs and desires of people who are going to occupy the building. Even if you are extending a building which is of an older style, the beautiful elements of that building need to be enhanced and respected.

New Gisborne House- External Perspective

Early on in the design stage I meet with clients to get their brief. A brief is not just how many bedrooms, bathrooms etc. A brief needs to look at how the occupant uses the building. What is important to make a building run seamlessly and how the building helps to enhance the occupants lives. What styles/looks the occupant likes is very important too, and whilst contemporary architecture is what etha architecture is passionate about, what is more important is to design a building that best meets the needs of the occupant, whatever the style is. I often prepare a number of designs of the building at this early stage of a project. Some I follow the brief strictly, whilst others are influenced by the site, and others may be designed based upon the feeling I receive when discussing the project with the client. The advantage of preparing multipal designs is that it leads to the best solution.

Gisborne House- External Perspective

Budget is something I am aware is high up in the minds of people when they are considering a new building and whilst I my imagination runs wild for what could be achieved with a multi-million dollar budget, I do welcome with open arms people who have a modest budget and who are trying to achieve a better quality of life from a building that meets their needs. A building doesn’t have to be elaborate to meet the needs of occupants, as mentioned above a building needs to respond directly to its site, to its brief, and to the character of it occupants and they are the ingredients that Architects use to create designs which produce the best building possible for the occupant. These elements do not automatically equate to extravagant costs, they just allow for a bit of extra time in the planning to get things right from the start.

Gisborne House- Internal Perspective

I have designed houses, schools, commercial buildings and retail premises and etha architecture strives to create any type of building which best suits the needs of its occupants. From the design phase, which is the most critical as it influences the quality of the use of the completed building, to design development and the navigation of town planning, through to detailed design in order to achieve a building permit (or even detailing down to the best taps and door handles for the project) and lastly, contract administration whilst the project is being built- etha architecture is devoted to achieving the best standard of quality and care so that the quality of life for the occupant is greatly enhanced by the new building.

Gisborne House- Internal Perspective

If you or some one you know requires the services of an architect please go to my website- http://www.etharchitecture.com.au Here you can find more information about etha architectures services and contact details. We are available to meet with you even if you are just at the thinking stage of a project…..

Sculptural Jewellery Displays

Heart Jewellery Display

As my first child grew from a new born baby into the first signs of movement I realised that I would have to baby proof my house. I had all my Jewellery displayed in my top draw of my bed side table- the perfect height for a toddler. Something had to be done!

Tear Drop Jewellery Display

I wanted to be able to see my Jewellery so I knew what I had quickly when I needed it before rushing out the door, or to survey when styling an outfit for a night out. I also wanted to keep the pairs of earrings together- one would always go missing.

Tear Drop Jewellery Display

I noticed that other Jewellery displays used mesh to hang earrings on, so I thought of putting mesh up on my wall. I needed however to include some design into what ever I placed on the wall- so I set about sketching some shapes, shapes that felt nice to me and that I would like to have up on my wall. As you can see I still have a lot more ideas

Jewellery Display Design Sketches

It soon occurred to me that want I wanted was not just a function display of my Jewellery but a sculptural art piece- one that would be functional and ever changing as my Jewellery collection expands and gets re-arranged.

Smiling Lips Jewellery Display

I had so much fun designing these Sculptural Jewellery Displays that I decided to make some for my friends too. I even made some Kids ones, with plenty of room for hair clips!

Organic Shape Jewellery Display

I am still yet to design a very large one for myself exactly how I want it but I will- it will be designed to fit perfectly on a feature wall in my bedroom in our new house! I cant wait 🙂

Organic Shape Jewellery Display

Some of these shapes are ones that I would love to include into my architecture. Especially the organic shapes, as we are shaped organically, it stands to reason in my mind that we would feel better in a space that was shaped like this as compared to a square box- hopefully one day I will be able to explore this further……..

Organic Shape Jewellery Display

Kiss Lips Jewellry Display

Kiss Lips Jewellery Display

Heart Jewellery Display

Heart Jewellery DIsplay

Eye Jewellery Display

Eye Jewellery Display

Soft Rectangle Jewellery Display

Sharp Rectangle Jewellery Display

3 x Circles Jewellery Display

2 x Circles Jewellery Display

2 x Circles Jewellery Display

Flower Jewellery Display

Pink Hart Jewellery Display

Butterfly Jewellery Display

Christmas Cake Pops

Xmas Cake Pop Tower

Im not sure how many of you have heard of Cake Pops. The first time I heard of them was when I downloaded a cake making app for my daughter and part of the game was putting sticks into the cake. I thought to myself that’s a bit strange, why do the cakes have sticks in them? But the more you think about it the more you realise its quite a good idea. Once served there is no need for plates and spoons and messy fingers, you hold the Cake Pop in your hand and eat it like a lollie-pop or an ice-cream.

Xmas Cake Pop Tower

To make a cake pop you need to crumble a cooked cake and mix the crumbs with some butter icing till you get a firm mixture. You can then work it into whatever shape you like such as using cookie cutters or roll into balls. You just cant make them to big otherwise they might be too heavy for the stick. Once you have let your shape set in the fridge the you dip the stick into chocolate and then into the shape you have just made the back into the fridge. The finishing touches include coating the cake pop in melted chocolate or chocolate melts and then decorating however you wish.

Xmas Cake Pop Tower

Ok so its a lot of sugar, but as they are quite small its not overwhelming. Their actually really, really yummy!! I haven’t found anyone who hasn’t loved them. So for Christmas I decided to make Christmas Pudding Cake Pops with cute red hats. I used a butter cake for the mix. They do take a while, but they are fun to make.

Xmas Cake Pop Tower

I was racking my brain trying to think of the best way of displaying them and then remembered I had a red Christmas Table decoration with smalls holes in it which would be a perfect way to display the Cake Pops.

Chocolate Art

I finalised the display of the cake pops with home made biscuits and some chocolate art- Jackson Pollock style! This was really easy to make and I did it with my 4 year old daughter, it just a matter of drizzling the remaining chocolate from covering the cake pops on top of a sheet of baking paper, one colour after another. Lots of fun and it ended up looking really good once it naturally broke up as I placed it on the plate.

Xmas Cake Pop Tower on Table

So onto our Christmas Table they went as an eatable center piece and a talking point, and as we were so full from lunch not many were eaten after our real home made Christmas pudding (Thanks Mum!) was devoured, they were a nice bite of sweetness though out the afternoon!

Xmas Cake Pop Tower on our Christmas Table

House Sketches

Rocks in Creek informing house design

Often inspiration for the design of a house or a building will come from the site- a reaction to its surrounds. This helps to provide a rooting of the building to its site. Often this can be a starting point, however if your just driving past the building you may not have any idea that the building was informed by the site. A house has a story and the story needs to be found- then the house/building can be understood.

Sketch of House informed by Rocks in Creek

The rocks at the adjoining creek informed the house design above. It may not look anything like the rocks however it is formed by the way the rocks have fallen into place and have been molded over time by the creeks creating a pooling of the water and the flow over the rocks.

Design of Block House

This design was informed by the nearby mountain range with the ridges and valleys turned on their side and squared off.

Gum Leaf House Plans

The Gum Leaf design is more obvious in plan form, I love fluid forms and if I could detail and build this really complex house I would be eternally happy! I can just feel its movement and the unique spaces it would create inside would feel spectacular!

Gum Leaf House Plans and Perspective

I also like how the perspective doesn’t look as much like the gum leaf as the plans do. It is a structure that wants to be explored.

Sketch Design Option of House- Mother Hugging Child

Those of you who know me will understand this design. It is not based on the site but a personal experience. Of my aching arms…..

Sketch Design Perspective- Mother Hugging Child

And of looking lovingly over my child….

Christmas Table Decorations

Chocolate Bouquets

So I walked past a store selling chocolate bouquets before Christmas and thought that would be fun to do. We had invited all our family over to our house for Christmas so I thought that the chocolate bouquets would make great Christmas Table Decorations, and double as a desert (you know when your sitting around relaxing after a big Christmas lunch but you just cant help having that extra chocolate.

Chocolate Bouquets

I started thinking straight away on the best way I could make them and what colours I wanted for our Christmas table, so Purple and Silver it was with a bit of extra colour sprinkled in- Red and Gold.

Chocolate Bouquets

I started with some lovely flower bouquets boxes which had received a year earlier and which had meaning to us and filled them with white pebbles. They look great but perhaps not the best option if your planning to transport them too far as they are quite heavy.

Chocolate Bouquets

I then covered lots of big and small timber skewers with green electrical tape for stems of my Chocolate flowers. I taped the chocolate to the top of the skewers (with the pointy bit of the skewers going into the rocks), I then placed the chocolates (attached to the skewers) into squares of cellophane, silver and purple tissue paper and twisted and taped them to the skewer below the Chocolate.

Chocolate Bouquets

Some of the paper I opened up, as if a flower in bloom, and sometimes I left them closed as if in bud. It took some time to do, but my daughter was a great help with the process. I then began arranging the chocolate flowers in the rocks, making sure that the types of chocolates were spread between the bouquets. In the middle I placed a center piece of Christmas decorations which helped make the bouquets look special.

Chocolate Bouquets

As Christmas day came around I had a lot of fun decorating the Christmas table with all our good plates, glasses and cutlery, and of course the chocolate bouquets center pieces. Everyone fit nicely around the table and although we all had way too much food for lunch most of the chocolates were gone by the end of a lovely Christmas day.

Christmas Ta
ble Decorations

Christmas Table Decorations

I have kept the boxes and perhaps I will have fun making more in a different style for Christmas next year. I also had fun making some cake pops for the center of table so ill show them soon!

Christmas Table Decorations

Christmas Table Decorations

Castle Cake

I have always liked baking, ever since I was little. I was the designated cake maker in the family and would even make my own birthday cakes too, usually chocolate! So I’m excited now to have the opportunity to make lots a great birthday cakes for my kids. I am now going beyond a birthday cake that just taste good and I’m trying to achieve ones that look nice too!!

My 4 year old has joined my passion for baking cakes (or at least standing next to me eating the mixture while I bake) and she was really excited when I asked her what cake she wanted for her 4th birthday. So after getting lots of ideas for Mermaid cakes and Heart cakes she finally settled on a fairy Castle cake. I had grown up looking at the Castle cake in the Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book, so this is where I got my basic set up. However I cant just design a simple castle, I’m an architect I cant help but go further.

So working with what I had, a limited amount of materials for baking (my collection is now growing), and after sketching a number of designs I came up with this design. Three towers of varying heights, with ice-cream cones on top. All on top of a round base, complete with a moat, grass and flowers. Pink and Purple fairy fun.

It is by no means perfect however I am happy with it as my first attempt into the world of complex cake design, and my daughter and her friends were happy. Lots of cake decorating lessons learnt too.

I aim over this year is to practice more and more cakes and hopefully by the end of year you will all see a difference, and of course all you lucky people close to me will get to see and taste my cake designs! Let the baking fun begin 😉

Master Planning

I had fun leaning over our 34th floor to take this photo!

We have just returned from a lovely holiday at the Gold Coast and were fortunate enough to stay at the beautiful Mantra Circle on Cavill. We were quite high up and apart looking at the amazing view of Surfers Paradise and the rest of the Gold Coast I couldn’t help but to look straight down! It is clear to see why it is called Circle on Cavill (Cavill is the name of the street which is located). It got me thinking about the planning involved in this complex and after using the spaces how successful I felt it was.

Our View

Master planning of a space usually happens at the start of a project. It is the laying out of all the different elements required on the block of land in to neat user friendly areas often before the building design occurs. These elements are sorted into a hierarchy of user requirements, at a basic level= public spaces, semi-public spaces, semi-private spaces and private spaces.

Yellow = Public
Pink = Semi-Pubic
Blue = Semi-Private

Here you can seen the public street which surrounds the complex with semi-public access walkways into the center circle. Around the circle there are retail spaces and on top of the retail spaces are the semi-private areas of the hotel pool, bbq areas, play area and green areas. The private areas are of course the rooms of the hotel. I think that this complex and its layout of planning areas works really well due some of the integrating features such as the large screen in the middle of the two hotel towers which can be viewed form the semi-pubic space of the circle and the semi-private spaces of the hotel around the circle.

TV Screen

On the whole I really enjoyed the spaces in the complex, the only issue I had was that perhaps wind modeling wasn’t done during the design stage. Due to all the very tall buildings in Surfers Paradise wind tunnels are created by the wind trying to squeeze between the buildings and this has created some windy sections of the design like at the swimming pool in the semi-private level and in parts of the circle on the semi-public areas.

Tower One

Have you master planned your house/property? Master planning can happen organically (designed over time- bit by bit) if you take into account the whole of the property even when you design something small. An example is a vegie patch, do you just put it where it fits or do you lay it out so you can see it from where you want to see it or is it to be hidden, or perhaps you put in a little more effort and create a shape that suites the existing features of the house. You also have public/private areas at your place, from the driveway to the living room to the ensuite. We all have places which we want to share and places which are just for us.

Something to think about next time your adding an addition or even a small project at your place as it might just make your place that little bit more enjoyable to live or work in!