Point Chevalier House

When you’re a recognised leader in the field of concrete construction, as Ross Bannan of Bannan Construction is, when it comes to building your own home people are going to eagerly anticipate the result. “We wanted something spectacular that would stand the test of time and be a legacy of my work; our personal piece of coastal Land Art,” says Ross. Ross and his wife, Maxine, commissioned architects David Pointing and Matthew Fitzgerald of Ponting Fitzgerald to design them a house that would be challenging in its construction but that would ultimately be a family home. “We had a brief as far as number of rooms, size etc but other than that we let David and Matt have free rein. My theory has always been to invest in professionals to provide the best of their ability. Being a builder doesn’t qualify me to design ‘spectacular’.” “Our concrete industry includes an incredible knowledge base of professionals. Companies such as PeterFell, who I have been working with for decades. They have been a great support company working alongside my growing business—their industry knowledge, along with their product, is second to none. We’re currently involved in projects spanning from New Zealand to Indonesia and the PeterFell product plays an integral role in each of them.” With his own house, Ross decided to make a bold statement with the PeterFell colour, choosing PF 699 from the Premium Charcoal Range. “For the majority of the concrete work we decided we wanted to keep the palette raw, using PeterFell sealants to maintain the natural look. However, for the fire surround we wanted something that would make it stand out from the main build. “The fire surround is such a monumental structure, piercing as it does the building envelope, therefore, colouring it with a specific dark colour provided the level of gravitas it required as a sculptural element—we love the look that has been achieved.” Where to now for the same-proclaimed concretologist? “We asked to be challenged with the construction of our home and we certainly were and we will take the lessons learned and continue to push the boundaries of what’s achievable. That’s one of the great things about working with concrete, being able to turn a liquid into any possible shape and colour imaginable keeps me motivated to develop new systems and forms and to keep increasing my own knowledge base.” Builder: Bannan Construction Architect: Ponting Fitzgerald Architects Peter Fell colour: PF 699 from the Premium Charcoal Range Featured: ArchiPro