Enduring Domain Architecture

Having bought a block of land in Ballan we were keen to build a passive solar, strawbale house. This wasn’t going to be an easy task as our land was south facing with a rather steep slope into flood plain. We knew that Matthew Turner had an interest in such designs so we engaged him to consider our brief. He quickly solved our need to face north by turning the house around – instead of a street scape we now had double glazed windows framing views across the valley and surrounding countryside. Carefully designed eaves gave us the winter sun and protected us from the hot summer rays. Matthew was very thorough in his approach and always open for suggestions and alterations. He was enthusiastic regarding the design features and was a very hands-on architect. As the task was not an easy one Matthew’s time, skill and creativity was greatly valued.

We had the good fortune to meet Matthew Turner last year during a Ballarat Sustainable Open House tour - after striking up a conversation with him at that event, it became clearly evident that his vision and philosophy for a house build were exactly in line with our sensibilities. Matt's considered approach, his ability to undertake thorough research (as we have a heritage overlay on our block in Ballarat Central), and his easy communication style, have meant that the 10 months since we began our project with Enduring Domain, we've had a remarkably positive experience. Matt has a real talent for being tactical in his design elements - in our case, he carefully took into account the sloping block, and devised a split-level home to suit our needs, whilst being strategic to ensure the project kept within budget by engaging a professional cost estimator in the early stages of the design process. Around that same time, Matt also arranged a meeting with Ballarat Council's Heritage Department so as to guarantee that the drafted blueprint for a new modern build were appropriate to the area. This made certain that we did not waste any time with submitting a planning permit to council that was not a suitable fit. Matt's comprehensive attention to detail reading policy documentation and possessing a solid grasp of eco-efficient building materials and the like, made certain we travelled along on a cohesive pathway from the very beginning, with nothing left to chance. As we now embark on the building stage, we are eagerly looking forward to living in our new home.

Enduring Domain are project managers and designers of our new house, on a sloping country block with specific restrictions imposed by the water authorities. They have faced all challenges with imagination and humour and we are very much enjoying watching the project unfold. Having originally planned to design it ourselves, each time we see the clever design ideas included in this small structure we tell each other "that's why you need an architect". Highly recommended, especially for their concern for environmental sustainability and experience in :"green" building and design.