Park House sits harmoniously within the natural landscape of Harbourview Park and architectural landscape of Woollahra Heritage Conservation Area. Its materials, colours and form blend with the bushland and complement the historical houses and sandstone walls.
The house sits atop a 5-metre-high sandstone wall, overlooking the park entrance. Its low, horizontal profile minimises visual impact and serves as a podium to the heritage house behind. The massed base and concrete-block buttresses anchor the house, while the lighter first-floor framework modulates the house amongst the trees.
The owners of this house contacted us after they visited our first house in Castlecrag designed by us in 1972. They were drawn to the compact size, the subtle building palette of the house and the respect it had towards the Walter Burley Griffin conservation area.
As the owner grew up in the original post-war house built by his parents on the site (similar to the surrounding houses) their knowledge of the site was very helpful. Also on the edge of the Walter Burley Griffin conservation area, the site has a fall from the street to the rear of about 3m and a lovely rock outcrop that was opened up to the public at the rear.
This family house was designed to maximise garden connections and northern sun on an east/west orientated site in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Hampton.
The house presents as a simple composition of three forms to the street. The garage is clad in weathered recycled hardwood to conceal the garage doors and contrast with the vertically grooved cladding delivered by Habitech’s wall panels for the rest of the house. Its curved wall leads to a front door in the void between garage and front bedroom forms.
Mullum Creek is a new residential sub-division of an old orchard east of Melbourne in Donvale. The development sits beside Mullum Creek and has a strong environmental focus with all houses having to reach a minimum 7.5 stars energy rating and have a minimum of 4kW of solar panels.
The Mindalong House occupies a semi-rural block on the edge of John Forrest National Park, at the base of the Darling Scarp in Western Australia. Arrival is through a screen door under a large Mari tree and the entrance roof extends over to give you protection. Walking through you find yourself located to the hill beyond with large decking area with pool raised out of the ground, it is at that point you realize you are on a raised plinth. The climatic regression house plays with thresholds of what is internal and what is external. Two shed-like pavilions surround the communal gathering area, conceived as a ‘cathedral of light’. The timber decks exist at the threshold, and extend from these dispersed living spaces, allowing access throughout the building. The communal gathering area breathes through two passive light towers, regulating the internal climate. The body is continually being turned to open up to the hills beyond. To access the sleeping pavilion is through the external communal space protected by the court of native plants and raised pool plinth. Views of the horizon, punctuated by existing granite rock formations and scattered trees, penetrate to the heart of the central living spaces. The timber deck circulation allows different perspectives of the landscape and proximity of the creek at the north western edge of property. All accesses to pavilions is via deep roof overhangs giving a freedom of space and extending the internal floor out to blur the threshold of internal and external. The poetics of Mindalong House are a strong shed with sculptural entrance by day and a series of light boxes in the landscape by night.
The purpose of this facility is to provide a place to live for Aboriginal people with “end stage Renal Disease”- allowing them to stay close to their family and community while receiving Hemodialysis for 2.5-4.5 hours, 3 times a week. It is expected that most people will only live for about 3 years making this facility a type of palliative care facility- but without the formal medical spaces.
Prior to the establishment of this accommodation facility and the associated “Renal Chairs” in the nearby Hospital, people had the choice of moving to 2,500 km Perth – and thus being separated from their family and community or simply staying at their community and dying. Sadly, the trauma of being separated from their kin led many to choose the stay and die option.
Location: Lot 114 Forrest Road, Fitzroy Crossing WA 6765, Australia
Photography: Peter Bennetts
Architectural Team: Finn Pedersen, Adrian Iredale, Martyn Hook, Jordan Blagaich, Rebecca Angus, Nikki Ross, Jason Lenard, Rebecca Hawkett, Leo Showell, Craig Nener.
This job had a unique beginning, in 2014 WOWOWA produced a series of renovation tip YouTube videos celebrating some of Melbourne’s featurist houses Robin Boyd famously identified in the Australian ugliness. Often, colloquial vernacular nicknames were given to distinct housing styles, early Victorian pattern brick facades, like this project's were coined ‘Tiger Prawn’s’. These clients came to WOWOWA proclaiming they have a Tiger Prawn house and were eager to honour the glory of their Victorian terrace frontage with a new addition out back. Another key feature was the distinct Fitzroy North site was the carpark and laneway adjoining the back of the property, the back was publicly viewed and so from the outset we treated the back not only as a back but also a front. Reminiscent of ‘Janus’ the Roman god of beginnings, transitions, time and duality – depicted with two faces, so he could look to the future and to the past. WOWOWA thought this duality of past and present, front and back was an excellent driver for a narrative rich project.
Modernist Wonderland is a refurb to a yellow brick 60’s double storey gem for a Greek-Australian family – opa!!!!! It’s a colourful celebration and opening of the existing space, playful adaptation of original materials and embellishment of an optimistic era. Small spaces we decompartmentalised to create a space big enough for 80-person Christmas festivities. The large curved island bench was a nod to the families love of lamb cutlets and it seemed appropriate to couple with a brass bar element.
Sydney is joining other Asian cities in embracing the stylish roof top bar.
Work has commenced on the new Disco Volante by Tony Owen Partners atop the 10 storey Nelson House in Clarence Street in Sydney’s CBD. The bar has been designed by Tony Owen and is being developed by the Ausino Group. Nelson House is an iconic heritage building being Sydney’s first steel frame high rise building. It has a distinct classical façade of high heritage significance.
A classic material palette compliments the clean lines of an existing residence with captivating views over Sydney heads.
The site required a sensitive intervention to ensure consistency and continuity between old & new.
The works centred around the reconfiguration of spaces to yield improved access to a new enlarged northern yard, upper floor deck interlinking reprogrammed sleeping areas to further take advantage of the idyllic setting and the improved function of the kitchen and bathrooms.
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