Veronika Wild

  Original sandstone exterior of the Blue Magnolia Modernising Heritage Buildings It’s always a bit of a challenge in Tasmania to retain the historic charm of a place, yet still make it user -friendly and adapted to modern living. People are busy. Both men and women work outside the home. We need our washing machines, our dishwashers and indoor bathrooms. When we come home we want to relax with our computers and televisions.  One of the few places I managed to visit durable this year’s Architecture Week which ran from late October to mid-November, was the “Blue Magnolia," once part of a conjoined pair of sandstone row houses in an internal block dating from the 1840s. Sadly, not many of their contemporaries have survived because they were knocked down over the years as the city expanded.  Subtraction and Addition  This pair had already undergone an unsympathetic renovation in the 1980s. The buildings had been partially merged into one and many of ...

Open House at the Hemp House which was extremely popular during Architecture Week Move over Haybales and Mudbrick, there’s a new bio -building material making its way to a construction site near you.   The Hemp House is another place I visited during Architecture Week. From the outside it's an attractive,  normal looking dwelling, built over two levels and overlooking a beautiful sloping garden. On the inside however, you can see that some of the unrendered walls are made of a softly textured material not unlike fine cereal or light -coloured wood chips. That material is Hemp hurd, the residue of specially grown hemp. This recently rediscovered material which uses only hydraulic lime and water and using new technology, has led to Hemp Houses being built in several countries including France, the USA and Australia. For a quick rundown of the process and building techniques click here. The Advantages of Hemp According to  discussions at the Hemp House with Andi Lu...