- Area: 350 m²
- Year: 2014
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Photographs:John Gollings
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Manufacturers: Light project, Mafi, Selkirk
Text description provided by the architects. Park Street is a simple and robust dwelling built to accommodate a young family and their evolving needs. Natural material choices, a limited palette and inter-linked garden spaces combine to create a calming backdrop and engaging living experience in the daily lives of the occupants.
A former tennis court site, shaped like a ‘battle-axe’, presented a unique opportunity nestled within the middle of a typical suburban block. The program was based on the client’s desire for tranquillity and seclusion from the street while balancing occupant amenity and privacy from the site’s 11 surrounding neighbours. Key to the design response was the inter-linking of house and landscape spaces to create the sense of living within a hidden garden.
This vision was achieved through the use of three distinct yet inter-linked garden spaces framing the building to create spatial variety and interest. Living spaces are located on the ground floor with connecting vistas through to the garden and central courtyard. Bedrooms are located on the upper level of the house and have operable shutters to ensure privacy and control views and outlook to the surrounding landscape.
Sliding glazed walls on the ground floor enable the occupants to adapt the living areas into large open spaces or smaller, intimate settings with a high level of connection to the garden so that sitting within the house is like sitting within the landscape.
Off-white concrete bricks, concrete floors, white stained cladding and naturally oiled timber, were chosen with the desire to create a generous home - one that would provide maximum living comfort for its occupants, with minimal long term maintenance.
This simple dwelling creates a peaceful and engaging living experience.
