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Jenga House: An Unusual Stacked Pine Facade

jenga house

Lately, we’re seeing a lot of modern homes making use of pine in creative new ways. In the Australian town of Coledale, where new residences are increasingly popping up among the old miner’s cottages, the fittingly named “Jenga House” is sheathed in an open arrangement of stacked pine to give it its own distinct personality.

Created by Takt Studio, “Jenga House” is actually a secondary volume to the larger “Blade House,” providing space for guests so the resident family of four can “share the wonderful locale” with friends and family. While the main part of the home uses wood to warm up a largely concrete structure, the smaller volume has a more organic feel.

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Those stacked timber walls recall drying stacks in local timber yards, and erosion in nearby ocean cliffs. Their materiality is driven by an exploration of cheaper rough-sawn pine as external layer,” say the architects.

“Detailing is direct and simple; and material choices prefer the least expensive possible for the required performance. Basic construction materials were used as finished products – such as pine stacked timber walls and recycled concrete landscaping walls. The project utilises solar passive design principles in a unique way and seeks to maximise green space on a very tight site. Vertical facades and boundary walls are designed to support climbing plants over time.”

“Under the escarpment, close to the sea, this new home and secondary dwelling explores landscape, light and a sense of community.”

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The architects chose these materials to stand up to both local weather and the constant influx of sand from the adjacent beach.The stacked wooden facade protects the interior of the guest house from harsh sunlight, but it’s also permeable, letting in cool breezes at any opportunity. It also projects a friendlier, more intimate feel to passersby on the street outside.

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