Geology to Architecture… worlds apart?

Looking back many years ago to 2008 I graduated with a BSc Hons degree from the University of Leicester. Over the moon with myself I had to then go out into the big wide world and get myself a job. After a short amount of time job hunting, I landed myself a brilliant role as an Exploration Geologist. The only catch… it was in Queensland, Australia. This opportunity was too good to turn down, so myself, my partner and baby boy in Tow jetted off to start our 4 and a half year adventure.

As an Exploration Geologist, I was fortunate to work over a wide range of locations, not only in Queensland but also as far afield as Broome in Western Australia. The work mainly consisted of surveying drill sites, logging drill cuttings and core, and organising rehabilitation operations. I was also fortunate in meeting a lot of wonderful people who came from many wide and varied backgrounds.

“But wait, this is a blog from an architecture company, what’s all this nonsense?” I hear you say. Well, it was in the land down under where I was first exposed to using CAD and I had to teach myself the commands and the UI as part of my job. Also, when you’re living in Queensland (where temperatures can easily reach 40+) you can’t not notice the difference in the architecture and use of space and form in order to have some relief from the Australian sun.

So what were some of the differences in the design of the house’s over there?

Well as we were living in Queensland, the majority of the houses that stuck out at me (mostly whilst I was out working) were the classic Queenslander up-and-under houses, and the more traditional timber Queenslander style properties.

The original inspiration for these colonial era style properties, was from the Mediterranean style houses. The timber frame construction meant that it would maintain a light weight structure and thus allow these homes to be raised up off the ground . This void under the house allowed cooler air to flow beneath, and the lightweight construction materials meant that the heat was not retained.

Not only is the act of raising the house up off the ground a design in response to thermal element of the environment, but it also has many other benefits such as using the stumps to level off any topographical changes, and as a remedy to something that is increasing in frequency:

Heavy Rainfall, many queenslander style houses (both modern and traditional) incorporate a raised floor level to some extent. In areas where high flood levels are common, it’s not unusual to see the living areas being raised up on the 1st floor, and the “downstairs” being used as storage or a car port

As explained above the goal is to facilitate a cross draft through the house so that it was naturally cooled and ventilated. However, that isn’t always an option as whilst wind directions are usually quite predictable near the coast, the further inland you travel you are more and more at the mercy of nearby developments or topography, that may hinder or block that heat beating breeze. That’s when these buildings quite quickly become ovens! Due to the age of these properties, you may find that there is little to no insulation and/or thermal breaks in the roof voids, which inevitably transmits the beautiful southern sun’s heat down through the building.

However, negatives aside, there is one thing to be said about a well maintained Queenslander house, they are very beautiful and ornate, and one has to admire the skill it takes in the forming and creation of the design of these buildings. In my personal opinion the best thing about these types of houses was the inclusion of a veranda, which in the day time and the hot evenings, coupled with an appropriate amount of fly screening (to fend off the Australian mosquito’s – to everyone else in the world imagine a blood sucking budgie) allowed for a VERY comfortable semi-external living space. To understand the design more follow the link here – https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-a-queenslander-house-5186385

The design can also be used for the local pubs as seen below.

Sadly our time in Australia was coming to an end, and in 2013 we were England bound this time with an extra addition to the family. We were leaving Queensland as a family of 4.

Whilst this was once again a major upheaval, with change comes opportunity, and after a few false starts I was eventually recruited by Anthony and the team at IMA Architects (believe it or not through Facebook Market Place).

At IMA I have further developed my understanding of the construction industry and built upon the skills I learned in Australia. In doing so I have achieved accredited CAD User certification, Building Hnc at Coventry University, and I am undertaking the BRE accredited ISO19650 certification course.

I have been fortunate to work on a variety of construction projects from Planning through to Tender and Construction phase and eventually to hand-over.

This isn’t the end of the story, and in the future I hope to write some more blogs to keep you all entertained.

This blog has been created by Jason Hennessy.