We reflect on the top five houses of 2023, each one an impeccable demonstration of exquisite detail, unique character and rich composition.
5. Fitzroy North Terrace by Clare Cousins Architects
Fitzroy North Terrace by Clare Cousins Architects.
Image:
Tess Kelly
What appears to be a typical terrace home is, upon closer inspection, a sleeve for a new form. The renovation pulls away from the existing terrace’s skeleton, which is left standing almost independently. The form of the addition and the integration of the red brick on the facade creates a clear delineation between the old and new sections of the building. The interior counterbalances the dramatic facade, with subdued timber details and modestly sized rooms. This home is perplexing and memorable in the best of ways.
Read more…
4. Shack in the Rocks by Sean Godsell Architects
Shack in the Rocks by Sean Godsell Architects.
Image:
Earl Carter
Designed by 2022 Gold Medallist Sean Godsell, Shack in the Rocks is a weekend shelter, with an internal floor area of only 32 square metres. The climatic conditions of the site are often extreme, with winds reaching 100 kilometres per hour. Rather than fight the natural environmental systems, the majority of Godsell’s structure is open to the elements, while the protected living and sleeping quarters are kept to a minimum footprint. Despite the raw and robust materiality of the house, there is a warmth and subtlety within the interior spaces. As is expected in a Sean Godsell design, the detailing is exquisite – and even in the strongest of winds, the structure remains steadfast.
Read more…
3. Celilo Springs by Western Architecture Studio
Celilo Springs by Western Architecture.
Image:
Peter Bennetts
A challenging site on a natural spring has inspired a deeply personal and intensely local new home, custom-built by the occupants and their loved ones. The fact that four previous landowners had been unable to come up with a suitable design solution for this sloping block did not deter architect Andrew Boyne and his wife Erica from taking on the challenge. Together, they adopted a holistic approach to sustainability, creating systems and elements that harmoniously work together. They reconfigured the site’s contours by hand, carved out new terraces, dug out ponds and planted more than 200 endemic plant species. This house demonstrates the possibilities for sustainable living in Perth.
Read more…
2. Steel House/Stone House by Retallack Thompson
Steel House / Stone House by Retallack Thompson Architects
Image:
Benjamin Hosking
A narrow, dilapidated, 1830s sandstone house and rear lane has been transformed into a pair of dwellings for multigenerational, mixed-use. The first, Stone House, has been adapted into a two-bedroom house for owners Jemima, Mitchell and their two children, with a ground-floor studio for their architecture practice, Retallack Thompson. In contrast to its sandstone companion, the second – Steel House – is constructed of plate steel, and provides short-stay accommodation for visiting family. A small garden creates spatial and visual separation between the laneway addition and the main home, ensuring the right balance of connection and separation, so that each home’s outdoor area can be used independently. Steel House/Stone House is an exemplary experimental project, proving that constraints can be the source of a masterstroke.
Read more…
1. Merricks Farmhouse by Michael Lumby with Nielsen Jenkins
Merricks Farmhouse by Michael Lumby with Nielsen Jenkins.
Image:
Tom Ross
The commissioning and construction of this residential compound is a global tale. The architecture is a collaboration between South African practice Michael Lumby and Queensland firm Nielsen Jenkins. Similarly, the landscape has international authorship, bringing together Cape Town-based, international garden designer Franchesca Watson and Melbourne-based landscape architect and horticulturist Robyn Barlow. The collaborators’ shared vision was to create an “abstraction of a typical Australian farmhouse” – an aspiration that is well and truly delivered. Merricks Farmhouse is profoundly connected to the natural, from the intimate courtyards rich with layered plantings, to rippling ponds and framed views of coastal landscape.
Read more…
