Awards

Finalist, Houses Magazine Awards 2011, Sustainability category

Publications
Saturday Age newspaper, 17 June 2011 
Monument magazine, August 2011 
Green magazine, Issue 20, June 2011 
Best Abodes, Part 4, February 2011

Hidden behind the facade of an old warehouse, this new residence is an example of how a small urban infill site can be utilised to provide ample indoor and outdoor space. The house offers 26 squares of open plan living including four bedrooms - all spread over 3 levels, whilst taking up only half of its tiny 165 sq.m site.

The concept draws upon the traditional Islamic urban house, with its sheltered courtyard and the flexibility of summer and winter living spaces. In this case the traditional courtyard has been stretched to provide a linear court that offers light and ventilation to every room of the house. The courtyard reinvents itself at each level: at ground level as an extension of living space, at 1st level to reveal the old warehouse wall, whilst at the upper level it yields to open views across the city.

Environmental sustainability and passive solar design principles are woven throughout. High levels of thermal mass and insulation provide an 8-Star energy rating. Indoor air quality is preserved with polished concrete floors and cross flow ventilation. Winter sun is invited into the house, whilst summer sun is excluded. No airconditioning is needed.

Rather than providing a technological and physical barrier between inside and outside, the house has a daily and seasonal dialogue with the weather, encouraging a strong connection with the outside world that is often missing in modern airconditioned buildings.

Photography: UA Creative