Forest Floor House

A long skinny block overlooking a green reserve, but unlooked by multiple neighbours along it’s long west facing side.
A sloping site, entering high from a busy road and sloping down to a rear garden with boggy feet.

We enjoy sites with tough parameters, it makes for great ‘opportunity’ solving. EVERY site is unique.
Great architecture finds solutions in a beautiful creative way, with passive environmental design holistically incorporated.

The design is a number of key elements, a concrete anchor at the street, and a timber hardwood structure that projects itself down the linear site.
This allowed us to stage the project so the owners could live in one part whilst the other was being constructed.

Tactful to the surrounding site issues, the long plan cleverly creates its private spaces to the north & east, opening to the cool summer breezes & forest floor reserve.

Protecting the west is a long, playful timber & translucent wall…leaning inwards!
The wall creates a distinctive 2 storey void internally (a circulation spine) where the leaning wall is expressed & experienced from both upper & lower levels.

Externally, it is a beautiful composition of materials & movement. It accentuates the long side and the roof elevation (it’s even looked upon from neighbours above – the 5th elevation).

The wall guards against western heat loads & serious privacy issues from 5 onlooking neighbours, whilst internally it provides the most striking light source within the internal spine of the house.

In progress, more photos to come…

Under construction
Builder: Avalon Constructions
Engineer: Professor Max Irvine