The central theme to this house was shaped by input from the client. At the centre of activity, they wanted a highly visible area where occupants and visitors came together: the cooking area. This became the heart of the house, and the centre of a grid, deformed in relation to the program’s spatial requirements and alignment with particular site characteristics.

The site, although surrounded by bush, was in fact quite exposed. This meant the building should recede from a distance – a taught shadow. The house began conceptually as a solid block interlaced with a grid, which was hollowed out to provide various degrees of shelter. Revolving around the heart are volumes shifting from fully enclosed to semi enclosed; some with a roof and some without. These “in-between” areas – sections that are outside but surrounded by the building’s form – are the result of a considered approach to outdoor living. They allow one to sit in the sun but avoid the cold winter wind, or alternatively sit outdoors but avoid the harsh summer sun.

The delineation between the interior (the inner most layer) and the in-between space is a material one. Glass walls present a line, but the real definition comes from the change in surrounding material.

Team Designers: Aaron Roberts, Nathan Crump, James Wilson, Thomas Bailey