Designed for a passionate gardener, the garden was the heart of this house. Located on a lush inner city site with a walking trail tracing the rear boundary, the verdant backdrop was borrowed as an extension of the garden. The footprint of the house is a U-shape, hugging around the garden and its green edge.

Circulation through the plan was carefully planned to frame specific and varied views of the garden. Each space was considered in terms of its relationship with the garden.

For our client, pitched roof forms connected with her personal association of “home” so each arm of the house is expressed as a gable roof form. The result is a strong but contextual street presence.

Leaning into the client’s general preference for more traditional forms and materials, brick was the predominant material. The specified brick was chosen for it’s calm and soft texture, serving as a quiet backdrop to the dappled shadows from surrounding canopy trees.

From a more pragmatic point of view, the house needed to be highly accessible. It’s a predominantly single storey home with only a spare bedroom on the first floor that could house a future carer. The bathrooms and joinery were designed with future wheelchair accessibility in mind. We worked carefully to ensure accessible design worked quietly and seamlessly, rather than being a visible layer to the house.