New House in Point Chevalier

This intriguing home is positioned on a tight, rear site, enclosed on all sides by an eclectic mix of suburban houses. The brief was to provide thermal comfort, privacy, connection with nature, flexibility for future uses such as a home office or grand-parent accommodation, and a sense of character to match the client.

The house consists of two plywood-clad boxes linked by a two-level ‘breeze-way’ with a tensioned membrane roof. The positioning of the boxes and ‘breeze-way’ creates a series of sheltered courtyards enabling a seat in the sun (or the shade) to be found at any time of the day. Large sliding cedar doors open on both sides of the lower ‘breeze-way’ to allow sunshine to pass through and create a large outdoor space as required. An existing mature weeping elm tree was retained to form a shady feature for the main courtyard garden. A carefully chosen mixture of materials and colours have been used internally to reflect the personality of the clients. These interesting materials include polished concrete with blue glass and white marble pieces, glass-covered shell storage in the floor, plywood ceilings and Jarrah flooring.