Plywood Braced Post and Beam Frame House Design Ideas

This house designed by Lindsay Clare Architects. Designed to provide a model for a low cost alternative to the fully tailor-made house. It displays an effective architectural and engineering simplicity, with a deliberate and clear organisation of materials, functions and structure.

To keep construction costs below the required $600 per square metre, the design adopted the contractor’s preferred building methods as the basis for detailing, economic timber construction. The structure was conceived as a two storey timber box, framed and braced by the external walls and by plywood clad fin walls running along the perimeter. At the roof level, these fins support curved transverse glue laminated beams, a curved clear hoop pine plywood ceiling and the roof support structure. In the finished structure, these fins serve additional functions. They form alcoves along the perimeter useful for entry, storage or work spaces and give the internal spaces a grand scale. No internal walls are required for bracing or load bearing, allowing a high degree of flexibility in the arrangement of the internal spaces and of services. The joists and bearers were left exposed.

The palette of internal colours is restrained, relying on the tones of natural timber and subdued painted surfaces. The floor in the living areas is tallowwood, detailed with inlaid strips of brush box. The plywood in the fin walls is finished in a rich yellow hoop pine, and clear solid hoop pine is used in joinery.