Abstract

The Gill House’ incorporated two streams of investigation firstly, the application of industrial building methods within a domestic building context. Secondly, the relationship between research practice and teaching, and the practical application of design methods used within an academic environment. One of the primary aims of the building project was to explore the possible application of industrial building methods to a domestic dwelling. This was partly instigated by a need to produce a very cost effective design but also by the client’s desire for an overtly contemporary and flexible building design. In response the main structure was steel framed with the incorporation of a rain screen cladding system, allowing rapid construction of the primary structure and external envelope. The steel frame also allows for the possibility of post-construction modifications to the building, therefore potentially allowing the building to be radically changed in response to different future uses. The innovative design and design methods used in this project and their relationship to teaching were the subject of an invited exhibition at the David Azrelli Gallery, Ottawa, Canada, entitled Gowans+Wright: Studio Works 01 (Catalogue ISBN: 1 86050 205 9 containing a forward by the Curator Assistant Professor Janine Debanne, Carlton School of Architecture). The exhibition detailed the house design and the design method employed to produce it. This was placed in the context of a number of student projects, which had used the same method. The exhibition clearly illustrated the relationship between research practice and teaching and how each informed the other.