The judges of ArchitectureAU this year honed in on the focus of meaningful connections between architecture and landscape, and to value homes’ relationships with the Australian environment in particular.
Capturing a slice of suburban wildness was at the heart of Liam Proberts’ design for his family home.
The ridge-top site in inner-western Brisbane looks north across a bush reserve into a copse of leafy canopies.
Below, a dry gully cuts through the centre, morphing into a watercourse during episodes of torrential rain.
Neighbouring houses are distant enough beyond the forested slopes to form part of the picturesque idyll without intruding on privacy.
The view, with its generous expanse of sky and clear register of seasonal changes, proves the perfect accompaniment to the wide verandah-like stage of the living room. A twelve-metre-long wall of glazing brings Mother Nature’s offerings of flowers, birds, trunks and branches seemingly into the home.
Liam’s practice emphasises functionality, with appreciation for what is on the outside rather than in.
Construction methods and materials prove minimalistic with intent to create a comfortable family home whilst upholding a level of sculptural intrigue.
Nature was morphed further into the home by taking a bite out of the western side of the plan to create a miniature, manicured landscape to counter the northern reserves wild bushland.
Problem-solving was done on site with the builder, Craft Building Company, and Liam also drew on the help of colleagues to refine design elements during busy times.
“It was wonderful to work with people who knew what I was after and whom I could trust,” he says.
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