Shelter: January highlights

On design & architecture streaming platform Shelter this month is the world premiere of Tiny Spaces.

Commissioned by Shelter this looks into four unique small houses that blend clever architecture with absolute minimalism in unity with the native bushland. From a 100-year old renovation of a Tobacco Kiln amongst the trees of the Victorian High Country; to a shipping-container retreat nestled within a 160-acre flower farm in the Dandenong Ranges; to a thrilling and dramatic sculptural creation within the rugged Breakneck Gorge.

Roger d’astous (103 mins) Canada 2016 (Available January 3)
Roger D’Astous is one of the most important Canadian architects of the twentieth century. A student of Frank Lloyd Wright, he fought all his life to create nordic architecture. Once a starchitect of the sixties, this flamboyant artist then fell from grace before rising again at the dawn of the century. Along with his pavilions at Expo 67 and the Athletes Housing Complex for the 1976 Olympic Games, his residences are sensual vessels and his churches sumptuous spaceships. For the first time on-screen, this film embarks on a journey throughout the exceptional projects of Roger D’Astous. An epic journey with a modern architecture giant, and a frenetic praise for dreaming of a better built environment in our post-global era.
Roger D’astous was an official selection for the Milan Design Festival (2016), Windsor Film Festival (2016), Johannesburg Architecture Film Festival (2016), Rotterdam Architecture Film Festival (2016), Dhaka International Film Festival (2016), Annecy Rencontres internationales du film d’architecture (2016), Copenhagen Architecture Festival CAFx (2016), New Zealand Architecture Film Festival (2016), Montreal International Film on Arts Festival (2016), Winnipeg Architecture Film Festival (2016), Quebec Film Meetings (2016) and the Outaouais International Film Festival (2016).

The Power Of The Archive: Renzo Piano (35 mins) Italy 2018 (Available from January 10)
The film delves into the archive of the Renzo Piano Foundation and the Studio. Drafts, sketches, models, renderings, drawings all housed in 3,000sqm of a converted factory in Genoa, which reflect the identity of the Architect and his way of thinking and working. A place of experimentation, the RPBW archive is a metaphor for a sea-port; where goods come and go, each enriching its content and potential communication.

Shelter Originals: Tiny Spaces (4 x 12 mins) Australia 2021 (Available from January 17 – World Premiere)
A 4 part Shelter Original series, Tiny Spaces focuses on small intimate spaces in rural Victoria that have a sense of remoteness, simple shelters and how they benefit their inhabitants.
Episode 1: Cortes Kiln – 17 January
Nestled amongst the trees in the Victorian High Country on a 94-year-old walnut farm, the project is an Architecturally designed renovation on an 100 year old existing Tobacco Kiln.
Using the existing shack’s timber frame while repairing its awkward join to the kiln, a new separation to bring in northern light by cladding the new joining roof in a translucent skin.
This sustainable tiny space features recycled timber, solar panels, thermodynamic hot water system, roof and wall insulation, and ground-level gutters to reduce fire risk.
Architect: Kate Fitzgerald, Whispering Smith Architects.

Episode 2: Larnook – 24 January
Tucked into a private corner of a 160-acre flower farm in the Dandenong Ranges, this shipping container retreat has been designed with consideration for its inhabitants and the surrounding environment.
Designer: Kate Walker, Kate Walker Designs

Episode 3 Oikos – Breakneck Gorge – 31 January
The multi-award winning Oikos (pronounced eekos) is a sculptural creation that compliments the rugged precipice on which it perches. Extraordinary external angles enhance a dramatic, open plan interior. Inside, smartly designed spaces with staggering outlooks are, from every angle, framed by breathtaking picture windows peeking out onto gum trees and the twinkling lights of Hepburn Springs and Daylesford.
Architects: Brett Robertson, David Nicholson
Oikos is the winner of the following design awards:
Gold Winner – International Design Awards – New Residential Building (February 2019)
Winner Architecture MasterPrize™ – Small Architecture Category (November 2018)
Finalist ArchiTeam Awards – Residential New Category (October 2018)
Finalist Victorian Premier’s Design Awards – Architectural Category (September 2018)
Longlist Dezeen Awards 2018 – House Category (August 2018)
Shortlist Finalist – Australian House of the Year: Houses Awards – New Houses under 200m² (April 2019)