Steel and water make Australian dream home
by John Hanafin
A UNIQUE concept in design, utilising steel and water, has provided a Ger- man-born steel fabricator with a dream home that is one of the most uncon- ventional in Australia. He is Mr Peter Markussen, who designed and built the home at Church Point overlooking Pittwater, a beautiful waterside loca- tion 20 miles north of Sydney.
Built into the side of a hill, it is a steel-framed roundhouse clad external- ly in Canadian red cedar and internally in Californian redwood or conven- tional plasterboard. Supporting the full weight of the house is a central stem 9 feet in diameter, which emerges from a concrete cylinder almost buried
in rock.
The main floor is a widely cantile- vered 52 ft cylinder divided into living and family rooms, kitchen, three bed- rooms, two bathrooms and a laundry. Each main room has its own verandah
to take advantage of the site's water and bush views. A circular study has been built on top of the roundhouse roof, which has been given the aesthe- tic appeal of a mountain brook. This was achieved by roofing the round- house with five layers of bituminous felt and three tons of tar. This is co- vered by nine tons of river pebbles and a 2-inch depth of water, kept at a constant level by a sprinkler above the study. When the sprinkler is turned on it creates a shower curtain effect out- side the study windows. This not only gives the roof all-weather protection but also insulates the house against summer heat.
All of the steel framework for the roundhouse was zinc-coated or galva nised to prevent rust. The framework was built in 32 sections and fitted to- gether like a structural toy. The layout of the roundhouse is in nine identical
segments, built on the modular princi- ple for simplicity in construction. Pre- fabricated load-bearing metal studs have been used in all internal walls to strengthen support for the heavy roof covering. Mr Markussen has also made effective internal use of boxed red- wood beams.
The house, which provides a cover- ed entertainment area large enough to cope with 100 guests, is entered via the stem. From this landing a spiral steel staircase descends into the wine cellar, built into the foundations. The staircase also ascends into the family room and up to the turret-like study.
Mr Markussen is the managing di- rector of Markussen Products Pty. Ltd. and Civeng Building & Engineering Consultants, which manufactured the steel framework for the roundhouse. He is married with a baby daughter and he built the home for the family.
(Top) A view from below the roundhouse, which acts as a covering for exterior living space large enough to cope with 100 guests
(Right) The central stem, the main floor area and the circular study
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Far East BUILDER, August 1971