“Family” was the first word written on the page when the client provided us with their design brief.
The challenge was to design a house that was architecturally inspiring but still felt like a home for our client. The clients are such beautiful people, and they are such a lovely family that we all put our heart and soul into ensuring the result was the absolute best it could be.
The design brief was extensive and continually evolving. The design development process never stopped, and we strived to explore every facet of the home to see if it could be improved.
The design needed to be modern but also stand the test of time. Both the client and we, the designers, were primarily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Falling Water”, and the house’s layered, floating horizontal lines can be seen cascading down towards the riverfront – following the natural topography of the block.
The block has a 4.5m fall from rear to front, which was respected by creating a multi-level design. The split levels assist in defining different living zones of the house (both inside & outside) and increasing ceiling heights where it counts.
The pool needed to be integrated into the design and played a significant role in the aesthetics, but it also formed an essential part of the required retaining. It is an impressive feature from both the street aspect and the living outdoor areas of the house with an impressive curved-wall infinity edge.
We created an open void through the middle of the balcony enabling a visual connection between the upstairs and downstairs outdoor living areas. This concept flows internally to the double-volume void through the middle of the home. In addition, we designed a raised clerestory to enable natural light and fresh air to permeate throughout the home. The windows allow cross-breeze ventilation and natural cooling of the house. The cool air blowing off the river will enter the home through louvres on the ground floor, pushing the hot air up to escape through the clerestory windows.
The internal space feels cohesive with the external environment by subtly using natural materials to complement the architecture and bring life to the home. Using natural Andorra stone flooring in the indoor and outdoor living areas creates a seamless connection between the spaces. Materiality and a shared sense of warmth connect the zones within the home, bringing in natural elements such as American Black Walnut, Gioia marble and the textured tones of split face Granite as a modern offering to the references in architecture from Frank Lloyd Wright.
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