The Tin Sheds Gallery at the University of Sydney hosted a special exhibition curated by Anita Panov and Andrew Scott of architectural practice, Panovscott. Titled ‘A small exhibition’, the show held last year showcased brilliant examples of compact housing conceptualised by fellow architects.

According to Scott, each project in the exhibition was selected “to actively engage in a discourse of how we can live more efficiently”. The exhibition celebrated projects that economically and environmentally have improved the lives of their inhabitants within very small spaces.

“For us, these projects clearly demonstrate innovation in how we can live more efficiently with higher amenity… how we can enjoy life more with less, which in turn is a more responsible attitude to those around us and to future generations,” wrote curators Panov and Scott in the exhibition’s catalogue.

Anita Panov and Andrew Scott of Panovscott took their long love affair with plywood and turned it into an art-piece using Ecoply from Carter Holt Harvey.

Two structures were constructed using Ecoply plywood and finished in a striking blue-wash. The first was a 1:1 scale replica of a 27-square-metre studio apartment designed by Nicholas Gurney that boldly demonstrated that one could live comfortably in a small space with good design. The outer walls of this structure also doubled as additional hanging space for drawings and photographs. The second structure presented an enticing face to the street through a large picture window – a forced perspective viewing apparatus that held project models, suspended in space.

Panov and Scott chose plywood for its flexibility as well as cost-effectiveness. In future months, Panov expects to see sky blue models in the architecture department as the exhibition materials are re-used by the students.

In their architectural work, Panovscott endeavour to be sensitive to the environment and as efficient as possible in design and construction. Materials such as Ecoply plywood are structural and can be left raw or finished in numerous ways.

Ecoply is also manufactured from sustainably grown Australian and New Zealand plantation pine. Environmental Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is recognised as the preferred cradle-to-grave basis for comparing the environmental impact of products, including building materials. On a limited LCA basis, building in wood sourced from sustainably-managed plantations represents a net removal of carbon dioxide away from the atmosphere for at least the life of the structure, thereby making a positive contribution to combating climate change.

Image credit: Brett Boardman Photography