Australian archtiecture

A single row of mature poplar trees, along the side unsealed road, forms a soft foreground to what we considered as the “main” façade of the house. Shadow of the trees cast on to the white concrete masonry blocks in the morning, animate the long articulated façade. The articulations, through the masonry and concrete detailing, together with the frustum roofs and layering of spaces, evoke street engagements and curiosities. These pose a polemic to the long façade which is essentially a defense mechanism to provide and suggest domestic privacy. Derek Swalwell The formal entry sequence starts from entering the pedestrian gate on the main street: the dusty pink brick pavers provide the conduit between the... More

National House is a new modestly sized two-storey skinny house for a young family of four. The design makes geometric and elemental references to the neighbouring development of its immediate context while also alluding to the formal qualities of various compact housing types in Japanese, Dutch and Belgian inner urban neighbourhoods. A second two-storey structure at the rear of the site provides a garage and a flexible artist’s studio on the upper level which outwardly reflects the predominant design language of the house.   The house accommodates ground floor wet area facilities with kitchen, dining and living areas directly connected to a rear landscaped garden, while a front room can be flexibly used as an office, guest bedr... More