The brief was to design a contemporary house for a young family where all the main living areas are on the same level with the garage and storage facilities on the level below and the guest facilities on the level above.

The design concept was to create a building that clearly articulated, both in plan and elevation, the distinct functions that make the house.  In plan, the house is neatly split into three sections by two passageways orientated north-south.  The central section contains the formal spaces with the other flanking sections being the family/living wing and the bedroom wing.  The central formal spaces comprise the entry lobby, the formal living and dining room and the raised terrace overlooking the garden and beyond to Parliament House and Mt. Ainslie. The formal living and dining area, at the heart of the house, is a generous light-filled space that performs two functions: when the sliding doors are closed it is a private and sound-proof space; when the doors are fully retracted, it opens up the whole house making it more spacious and flowing.

Externally, the building forms and roofs also help to express the spaces and functions of the house.  The central formal areas are defined by the two stone towers flanking the front entry and by the terrace and large timber doors to the rear.  The family/ living wing is expressed by a two storey volume with large timber blades and a dramatic folded roof that cantilevers over the water feature on the street side and by a fully glazed overhanging volume overlooking the back garden. The bedroom wing is expressed by a simple volume and lower roof plane from the street and by a similar fully glazed cantilevered volume overlooking the pool at the back.

Overall, the building addresses the street with confidence and comfortably engages with the garden at the back, utilizing strong, clean lines and a contemporary palette of materials.