Tuesday
Oct082013
The Nak
Tue, 8 Oct 2013
A few posts ago there was much debate about a Soviet bunker conversion. Bad history vs. good design. Can new lives and loves erase the horror, the harm? The Nak is a reconverted horse knackery, partly reconstructed to become a private weekender in the bush near Trafalgar in Victoria, Australia. Wolveridge Architects have created a home that is beautiful and functional while sitting solidly in its bush setting like the agricultural/industrial building it once was. The death of horses has given way to new life, new use. Thoughts? Can good adaptive design rehabilitate not just the building but the building's history?
Reader Comments (6)
Love! The celebration of simple natural materials (concrete, timber, plywood) in their raw state is stunning. Unlike the bunker space you mention, this home exudes restraint, serenity and oneness with nature while still displaying great taste and sophistication.
I thought the reaction to the bunker was over-wrought. Ditto here. Within reason a building is a building is a building. Many warehouses were used for things our tender sensibilities may find upsetting purposes. You could say the same about churches. Or jails. Or the missile silos in the US that have become homes.
The bunker wasn't even used for evil purposes.
Obviously some places are sacrosanct.
But lets not blame innocent buildings.
I think it depends how close to home the history hits - people who aren't necessarily horse people are not going to see an issue with this, people who are devout horse lovers probably wouldn't like the idea so much, however most people that have the 'waste not want not' mind frame will see that this is a beautiful new beginning for what would otherwise be an unused waste of materials.
Allow me to respond to that by slipping this into my architecture file...
I think the argument is similar to the vintage fur argument - do we let these things rot into history never to be seen or spoken of again, or give them new life with respect to their history?
It would be tactless if this house was kitted out with obvious leather accents etc - but its not. Love the light and all the timber. Its a gorgeous house
What a great transformation from a heap of rubbish to a magnificent escape in the bush