Neil Cownie Architect Pty Ltd
Neil Cownie Architect is a practice established in 2009. Neil Cownie a former director of Overman & Zuideveld Architects for over 10 years has been the recipient of architecture awards for commercal buildings, residential buildings, interiors & civc buildings. Neil Cownie Architect is a boutique practice with an emphasis on personalised service. The practice strives to achieve timeless architectural solutions that respond to the local parameters of each site. New advances in environmental technology are embraced & incorporated into the design process to achieve ‘designed’ environmentaly efficient buildings. Neil Cownie Architect provides architectural & interior design services for residential & commercial buildings, multi-residential buildins, hotels, cafes & restaurants.
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Projects:
Peppermint Grove Residence 1
Peppermint Grove, Western Australia, 2012
The house provides a warm family environment and the versatility to remain relevant for the ever changing needs of a family as the children grow older. A ‘timeless’ resort feel has been sought in the design of the house through the building form and the selection of materials which will age gracefully. Robust materials such as natural stone, copper and slate have been used for their aged patina and for the texture, detail and interest that they provide. The use of these elements has been contrasted with white texture coated walls to add lightness to the other more robust textured materials. We endeavored to maintain a strong relationship between internal and external areas for the main everyday living areas of the house. This blurring of where the inside of the house ends and the outside begins is achieved through the use of some of the external materials internally such as the natural stone and copper cladding running from outside to within the house. Large automatic sliding doors also allow both physical and visual connections to external areas. The north facing main external terrace reinforces the blur of the internal and external areas with the copper internal ceiling flowing into the copper clad pergola structure supporting the glass roof and deciduous Wisteria vine. From the raised alfresco terrace the external garden areas step down in a series of terraces to t
Energy Efficient Office Building
Cape Preston, Western Australia, –
The building is the ‘flagship’ administration centre for a mining company, to be situated on a hillside overlooking the harbour at Cape Preston, a rocky headland located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The two-storey building reflects the mining process with the rear of the building built into the hillside and the fa’ade looking out to the harbour and the stockpiled mining material. The energy efficient qualities of the building are enhanced by the rear half of the building being effectively below ground level. This insulates half of the external walls from the extreme temperatures experienced in the region. The double storey internal void space creates a dramatic oasis inside the building providing escape from the intensity of the local climate and environment.
Sun Catcher
Regatta Turn, Mandurah, –
The building will house a three generational family when on holiday together. The house can be used collectively with grandparents, children and grandchildren together. The house has also been designed to ‘shut down’ certain areas for a more intimate feel when in use by the grandparent’s alone. The holiday house is intended to provide a sense of fun and a departure from the everyday routines of the home. The site is located within the Mandurah Marina. It is open on three sides with frontage to the marina, Public open space along the long western boundary and open to the street frontage at the rear. We have drawn from the location in providing a nautical theme to the project as the ‘framed’ grid structure has been inspired from the structures found within wharfs. This ‘framed’ grid is intended to be a white plaster finished off form concrete to the horizontal floor and roof planes and the columns. External panels of panels of pre-weathered spotted gum timber finish which will be left to ‘age’ and evoke the feeling of ‘driftwood’ contrast with the other areas white external walls. External sunscreen blinds provide dynamic interest and colour along with the obvious sun screening benefits. The blinds are controlled by sun/ wind sensing automatic controllers. These blinds evoke the notion of nautical flags. The blinds will add a movement and life to the exterior.
