carew house

A private outdoor room as seperation for public and private realms.

2004

Location: Brisbane, Queensland

Located on an infill site in inner city Brisbane, this lowset home is on a 600sqm battle-axe block, surrounded by houses and units of various construction eras. As a dwelling for a professional couple with no children an exploration of alternative living methods, lead the planning of the house to be organised around the premise of separating public and private spaces.

Conceptually the home was conceived as two wings with the central 'haus wind' providing a lightweight linking element between the two and performing functions of both an entry and enclosed deck structure. One of the ‘wings’ contains the master suit, whilst the other contains the living spaces, services spaces and guest areas.

This simple planning arrangement allows for both visual and auditory access throughout the house, while both its form and surrounding landscaping privately opens the house to a north-eastern courtyard. Further the low-scale of the house ensures it does not dominate the surrounding environment.

Project Team:  Matt Cooper, Ben Parker

Structural Engineer:  FACET Consulting Engineers

Photography:  Apeture Architectural Photography

Builder:  N&N Webster Builders