Halifax Street

The site is only 360sqm therefore the design needed to maximise the potential of every square metre. The client works with precast concrete and I felt that something sculptural and special could be created with his skill with precast. With a stained cedar battened fence, black stained cedar boards and Spotted Gum blades, the exterior is characterised by a composition of different timber treatments ordered around a dramatic ‘basket weave’ precast concrete spandrel. It was our precast experiment that worked. It provides a sense that this is not a normal house, scratch the surface and be surprised.
It is the abundance and quality of light that characterises the experience of the interior of the house. The courtyard with the swimming pool was positioned so that each separate living zone could capture the light at the appropriate times. The kitchen and living room face north-east for the soft morning light, and the formal lounge faces north west, maximising the light for evening entertaining. It is a house that is complex in its simplicity, dynamic yet serene, and demonstrates the possibilities of concrete to create warm and inviting spaces.