The Subiaco Oval Courtyard
A secret garden, surrounded by an elliptical verandah, is carved into a cluster of connected pavilions. The Pavilions are aligned with the square geometry of the level block of land, the oval courtyard slashes diagonally through the site from the entrance hall to the back gate. The enclosed garden is a magnet for all the rooms and activities of the house; and outdoor room immediately adopted by the family. The Subiaco neighbourhood have also enthusiastically adopted the new house as the small scale of the pitched rooves, reinvented verandah, and the criss-cross pattern of the recycled brickwork have all been respectful to the early 1900’sintact streetscape of Subiaco, which is one of the best preserved federation period suburbs of Perth.
The interiors reflect the constructive tension between the timeless pitched roof form, the traditional timber trusses, the small paned windows and the modern materials such as vertical sun louvres, curved glass, polished concrete and Scandinavian furniture.