River Hearth House
The riverfront project was conceived as a cluster of intimate permeable fragmented forms, gathered around the original brick fireplace. It serves as a physical and metaphorical hearth and creates a soulful connection to both place and previous occupation. The river in all its moods, is omnipresent.
Rebuffing the temptation of a singular view, this new house evokes memories of the site's past occupation to craft a place for living and making on the Brisbane River.
This has provided a crafted counterpoint to the more singular river view. Through a rich understanding of site, context and considered siting, intriguing and inviting interstitial spaces have been created that harbour life in the form of landscaped courtyards and spaces for congregation. Places for work, life, rest and play coexist within the nurtured landscape.
The house is both a place to live and work. One of the owners, an artist and woodcarver, required a studio space that could facilitate creative practice and group workshops. The other required a generous office space to work from home. Both these forms are distinct but in dialogue with each other, simultaneously separate and shared. Their siting and shape define a funnelled procession of entry from street that opens up into a gradual revealing of courtyard, house and river.
Awards
2023 Winner - Robin Dods Award for Residential Architecture New - QLD State AIA Awards
2023 Brisbane Regional Commendation for Residential Architecture New
2023 Houses National Awards Shortlist, New House over 200m2