Building a new house in our neighbourhood, where so often we have to keep heritage facades, is a rare treat. But its also a responsibility to the public realm that we don’t take lightly! 

Many new houses pop up in our area but regrettably, all too often, they’re built to flip and so are designed to tick re-sale boxes. And ironically, meeting the perceived real estate ‘must-haves’ often comes at the expense of the lifestyle of the eventual occupants as the focus is on quantity rather than quality of space and light. And with facades dominated by double car garages, or worse still, basement driveways, these houses often detract from the streetscape rather than contribute to their community. 

For this family, this is their House for Life. They’ll be here long term and we’ve designed it for them to grow into, not to tick boxes. We wanted this house to represent their, and our, shared values of sustainable living, including beautiful natural and recycled materials, while contributing positively to a lively streetscape. 

From the street the open fenced reveals a beautiful front yard with abundant flora and raised planters for productive garden, frequently tended to by the owners where they can pause for a chat with passing neighbours. 

The building is integrated with the landscape. Deciduous climbers growing up the entry façade and provide shade and a touch of seclusion to the home office beyond. This space is occupied virtually full time by one family member or another, and facing onto the street, it encourages interaction with the sociable neighbourhood. 

The form of the building interacts with the elements, with a raking roofline lifting up to the north where highlight windows draw winter sun right down into the ground floor. The palette of materials including recycled bricks and Australian timber cladding is a warm and natural backdrop to the garden.  

The owners are from Italian families and love entertaining. Their brief called for a kitchen and meals area where they could entertain large groups and spill out into outdoor dining and integrated outdoor cooking. Large sliding doors retract to connect inside and out. The covered outdoor area provides shelter and shade from the western sun allowing outdoor entertaining year-round. The timber slats overhead and more deciduous vines, provide a natural feel. 

On the first floor, a roof deck draws the family out, and the natural energy from the site and surrounds in. A feature of the house is the cantilevered stair. More than just vertical circulation, the stair void shares light between levels, drawing sun from the first floor highlight window down into the south-west facing kitchen. The open treads and slender balustrade accentuate the light passing through. It’s a contemporary Australian response to our relationship with nature and the elements and our ability to entertain and connect with community.