Blackened timber

Project SummaryA strong connectivity to the local rural vernacular and the equine business that operates from its stables was key. Full height glazed openings punctuate corridors perfectly framing a constant unexpected unfolding of farm life as horses and their foals appear randomly at windows-inquisitive and majestic-framed like a renaissance artwork.   Project DescriptionIn a celebration of the surrounding architectural and design vernacular but with a modern, contemporary interpretation, this home exudes a rural character but with an appropriateness to function imbedded deep in its design. A strong connectivity between house and rural landscape is ever present.   The design approach is deeply considered contributing to the... More

Carr Redefines the Transformative Hotel Experience on Victoria’s Mornington PeninsulaIn one of the most daring and avant-garde moves in the hotel industry to date, the Carr designed Jackalope Hotel is due to launch April 2017 in the heart of Australia’s Mornington Peninsula wine region.   Representing brave and experiential architecture and interiors by Carr, the design concepts spark curiosity in an adventurous and edgy celebration of alchemy and transformation.   Providing an otherworldly experience rich with narrative and imagination, guests will encounter a transportive experience away from the everyday with a fusion of art, design, dining and storytelling.   Bold and adventurous in its design, the hotel... More

Garth Wood House is located on the boundary of forest and steep embankment, overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Lyon and Tay, in Highland Perthshire.   The pavilion style house has been designed with the living quarters to the upper storey, including the master bedroom, dressing room and study together with a large covered balcony to two sides, maximize the site’s outstanding 1,000ft views. This platform level sits above service accommodation and additional guest bedrooms at the ground floor that open out directly to the mountainous garden being planted with seedlings and edge of forest plants.   The entire house is designed around the central core adjacent to which are all the individual rooms. This is a library, t... More

What is the conceptual framework of the project – including underlying principles, values, core ideas and/or philosophy? The site for this new house is located within the Moonah Links golf course, on the Mornington Peninsula.   A simple brief and program requirements, teamed with a dramatic site characterised by a steep slope and a single tea tree, enabled the design to become an exploration into enclosing the basic rituals of domestic life within restrained building forms, whilst at the same time exposing the building’s program to varying levels of interaction with the surrounding landscape, both immediate and beyond.   In stark contrast to the surrounding houses, which attempt to cancel out the sloping topograp... More

Located in the north-side suburb of Northcote, the Cornerstone House emerges as an ode to the rugged beauty inspired by the project site itself, referencing the quarries that once typified the area. A stone quarry is an awe-inspiring place where raw meets refined at an impressive scale. The approach to the design is likewise to push the opposing notions into a harmonious balance that adds rich experiential qualities into the fabric of the building, ultimately creating an enhancedliving space for our clients.   Literally, a Cornerstone House, the starting point for the design is a series of a dozen large boulders positioned at key moments throughout the project. The massive rocks are largely left in a rough state just as they are when... More

This country house occupies a prominent corner site rolling down to a bushland creek. Designed for a local builder and his artist wife, the house provides integrated living and working accommodation for the family.A flanking wing of dark corrugated wing housing the studio and sheds acts as a buffer to the adjacent road creating a private compound of indoor and outdoor living spaces beyond. The rich earthy palette of recycled red brick and blackened timber is rich and robust, firmly anchoring the house to its site. More

Executive SummaryMontoro were looking to create a special experience for patrons. The Cellar door needed to be more than an outlet for their wines - something that spoke of and reinforced their brand. Importantly, the Cellar Door needed to move away from the archetypal ‘winery in an old shed’ which is a dominant typology in the area, to express the brands contemporary premium status.The program called for a small tasting space only, in the vein of a private dining space where personal attention was a priority. This had to be balanced against a desire for the Cellar Door to have a presence from the road and a clear identity. The distinctive oversized roofing material selected provided this presence and the orientation to the 2 directions of... More

A home’s liveability begins and ends with its orientation. For this heritage home in the inner western suburb of Lewisham, south-facing living quarters meant the family spent most of their time in cold, dimly lit rooms. Not much fun. But we had a plan, and one that resulted in a doubling of thermal efficiency in this part of the home from 3.2 to 6.4 stars!With a growing family, including a four-legged friend, more space and improved connection with the backyard was a must, but thermal performance would be central to improved comfort. To bring in light and warmth, we proposed the demolition of an old addition and a careful redesign of the new. We knew we wanted to maximise budget and impact for the client, so we reduced the number of additio... More

Four years after a fire tore through the popular foreshore venue, Stokehouse, St Kilda is again abuzz thanks to an iconic new building. Sydney Industrial Design studio, TILT, collaborated with Robert Simeoni Architects and owners, the Van Haandel Group, to reimagine the new Stokehouse’s exterior.The restaurant, spread over two levels, has a fresh new look, and sits just a few metres from one of Melbourne's most famous beaches. The building doesn’t try to imitate its predecessor. Instead, it pays homage to the beachside jetty, with a blackened timber-clad façade. Raw elements such as leather, concrete and brick connect the building to the nearby man-made sand dunes. The dunes conceal the ground floor from street level, giving Stokehouse, on... More

A new detached home designed by Platform 5 Architects replaces an outdated bungalow on a promontory in a secluded lagoon in the Norfolk broads, providing practice director, Patrick Michell with a family home. Designing a new building for the plot provided the opportunity to enhance the setting by establishing a stylish counterpoint to more traditionally designed neighbouring houses, while respecting the peaceful location. A key objective was to create simple, contemporary living spaces at the centre of the house that are orientated to benefit from the views of the surroundings. The property is also available for holiday rentals, further details can be found on http://backwaternorfolk.co.uk/   The house is arranged as three low rise b... More

People flock to Melbourne to nibble, sip, slurp and munch their way through this city. The crowning jewel of our food tourism is Shannon Bennett’s Vue de monde – an antipodean outpost of molecular gastronomy that consistently features on countless people’s ‘must do’ Melbourne dining experiences. In the new Vue de monde, perched atop of the Rialto Tower, we explored the concept of the dining destination, but moved beyond the clichés that dominate Australian tourism – reef, rock and road – to connect with the local landscape. Melbourne’s environment is the river estuary, the former river that followed Footscray Road, and thus, so is the new Vue de monde. Harking back to pre-civilisation, the restaurant links ritual, body and memory. How have... More

The Leaf chapel sits within the grounds of the Risonare hotel resort in Kobuchizawa, a refreshingly green setting with beautiful views to the southern Japanese Alps, Yatsugatuke peaks and Mt.Fuji. The chapel is formed by 2 leaves - one glass, one steel - which have seemingly fluttered to the ground. The glass leaf with its delicate lace pattern motif emulates a pergola and the structure holding it up reminds one of the veins of a leaf which slowly become thinner the further they get from the central stem. The white steel leaf, perforated with 4700 holes, each of which hold an acrylic lens, is similar to bride's veil made of delicate lace. Light filters through the lenses and projects a lace pattern onto the white fabric inside. Th... More