Is it house or is it art? Why not both? Smart Design Studio designed a house as a sculpture, called Indigo Slam, for an art collector. The house, with a façade made from sculpted concrete, is designed to last 100 years.

Indigo Slam is located in Sydney (AU). The curves and creases of the concrete façade fold, open or close, to create privacy, open to the light, form a balcony or maintain outlook as the rooms demand. The plasticity of concrete was essential to create the forms of the façade.

The materials on the inside, which are mainly steel, glass, marble and loose bricks, were chosen because of their wearing properties and to pay homage to the building’s past as a warehouse. Operable elements are mechanically rather than digitally operated. These include oversized vertical timber blinds that turn and retract by means of hanging chains and awning windows operated by geared winders.

The house is sparely decorated, without any curtains. Light is the main decorator. Bedroom suites are present on the first floor, overlooking the public park to the north. The curves and planes of the façade here act as screens to provide privacy and shade for the occupants.

The project aspires to an exemplary level of environmentally sustainable design with natural lighting, cross-ventilation, rainwater harvesting and adherence to passive solar design principles reducing the energy and water load of the building. Geothermal heating and cooling have also been incorporated into the designsolar hot water and photovoltaic cells are placed on the roof.

Photos: Smart Design Studio