Gianni Batsford Architects originally drew up plans for House in a Garden almost a decade ago, but the changing needs of the client resulted in addition rooms being accommodated in a double storey basement.
At ground level, the almost entirely glazed living space opens seemlessly into the private garden. A single opaque wall serving as the kitchen is fitted out in luminous copper, making reference to the more dull copper pannelling of the roof.
The underside of the bowing tent-like roof is created by criss-crossing glulam beams.
The skylight that flattens the peak of the roof, alongside the glass doors, help to keep the living area well lit.
Lightwells also bring light down into the depths of the 8-metre-deep basement. Here, ribbed marble, pale wood and glass surfaces help to maximise the available light.
“To build with light and darkness is to work with what a context gives you – a unique set of constraints and opportunities," say the architects.
“Shaped and informed by the light and shadow that surround it, the roof’s tent like form creates a new place for life to occur in the house – one that turns its back on the large volumes surrounding it and embraces the site.”
The house is completely tucked away from view, sandwiched between two 19th-century properties and accessed via a discreet alley.
Bringing an extra degree of privacy, the bedrooms are located on the first basement level, with the pool set deepest into the ground below.
- Project:
- House in a Garden
- Architect:
- Gianni Botsford Architects
- Team:
- Gianni Botsford, Paulo Martinho (Project Architect), Kate Darby, James Eagle, Hiroshi Takeyama, Anahi Copponex
- Structural engineer:
- Built
- Services engineer:
- Pearce and Associates
- Quantity surveyor :
- Leslie Clark
- Landscape architect:
- Todd Longstaffe-Gowan
- Contractor:
- New Wave