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light overhead, and imbues a
protective warmth to the interior.
Sawn recycled hardwood is
used for a structural screen wall,
along with smooth softwood
for handles and other tactile
elements. The full northern side
of the upper level bedroom is
operable and has a porosity that
makes the space feel generous,
whilst also allowing additional
light into the entry underneath.
This is an intimate and restorative
interior on a challenging site,
which has been cohesively and
intelligently resolved.
Spatially generous, this project
resolves the basic limitations of a
highly restrained site with great
skill, care and character. Set in a
row of one-storey brick terraces,
with its northern boundary
flanked by a ten-metre high
brick wall, Walter Street Terrace
literally stands in the shadows.
Its search for light has articulated
the volumes and spaces of its
redesign.
A minimal palette of largely
recycled materials is well
balanced against the heaviness
of the brick and the adjoining
structures. Newly introduced
north facing sky light and
increased internal volume
contributes to a series of
well-scaled, comfortable and
interlinked spaces – where the
existing and the new are adeptly
considered. In the main living
room, the datum line between
surfaces of brick wall and white
ceiling plane emphasises the
Photography: Brigid Arnott
Walter Street Terrace
David Boyle Architect
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE - HOUSES (ALTERATIONS & ADDITIONS)
ARCHITECTURE AWARD
warehouse box and inserting
a glass plane, admitting an
abundance of light within. A
‘verandah’ mezzanine within the
box provides the home’s single
bedroom, and a workspace
overlooks the main living area.
A sunken, curved media room is
inserted into the ground plane
while finally a galley kitchen ‘wall’
cuts from the house’s interior to
the courtyard.
The approach to room types is
idiosyncratic, which is highlighted
by top lit or windowless spaces,
including the bedroom and
media room. It’s a home that
is uncompromising whilst also
being appropriately relaxed and
cohesive.
It’s hard to be gutsy when you’re
surrounded by a theatrical urban
context of warehouses, graffiti,
car wrecks and a junkyard. It’s
a light industrial setting that
could give a sense of decay and
disorder, but this unusual home
offers a moment of tranquillity
and light.
Strength comes from its
execution, with minimal moves
giving maximum effect. Behind
a brick façade the architect has
created a luminous hidden world,
one which strings together the
desire of its owners to live, work,
play and rest within its triangular
space.
Eschewing a conventional
subdivision of rooms, Courtyard
House profits from its most
abundant commodity - space
- with an open arrangement
focused around its courtyard and
dramatic suspended fireplace. Its
primary move is incisive, literally
cutting out the top corner of the
Photography: DL Photography
Courtyard House St Peters
Reg Lark Architect
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