New build
Glorifying tents
We’ve all heard the gripe that Australian houses perform no better than glorified tents, but architects are taking inspiration from these age-old forms. The houses showcased here demonstrate how long-held understandings about shelter have a role to play in climate-responsive design.
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Renovation
Urban lifecycle
Sustainably sourced materials meet passive solar design in this custom renovation and extension of a period Melbourne cottage.
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New build
Raw materials
Architect Paul O’Reilly employed passive solar design principles and raw and prefinished materials to great effect for his sister’s house near Margaret River, WA.
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New build
Tune up
A U-shaped house on a tight suburban block optimises privacy and passive solar design and creates secluded spaces to sit, depending on the sun and season.
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New build
Free-cycled style
Built to tread lightly on the land, this artist’s home in America’s Pacific Northwest makes elegant use of salvaged materials.
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Renovation
From fibro to fabulous
Often poor performing and riddled with asbestos, is Australia’s ubiquitous fibro shack worth keeping? These two families on opposite sides of the country said yes, opting for renovations and extensions that vastly improved the liveability of their humble homes.
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Renovation
Material difference
Homeowner Danny Mathews had plenty of ideas and knowledge about low impact materials and how to use them to improve his period cottage, but he sought the guidance of architect Penny Guild to make it happen.
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Renovation
Work the room
Shrinking the footprint and redesigning and rebuilding one part of this simple beachside house improved its layout, comfort and energy efficiency.
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New build
Cottage cathedralette
Reversing the room layout and building on the same footprint as the original cottage were key to achieving a spacious, flexible new home that preserves this Melbourne horticulturalist’s beloved inner-city food garden.
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Renovation
Natural lightbox
With thoughtful passive solar design, ageing terraces can be sensitively revitalised to achieve high levels of sustainability – even if the party wall is along the north side.
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Renovation
Eighties revival
A standard, single-storey brick house in Brisbane sets a precedent for how 1980s housing stock can be renovated to suit a sub-tropical climate.
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