Bourne Road Residence
The design for this house was derived as a framing of outdoor space, the architecture a backdrop for the family’s engagement with the garden. Stripping the architectural language back to white rendered planes, this project became an exploration into enclosing the basic rituals of domestic life within restrained building forms.
On arrival, the entry is defined by a single full height puncture to an otherwise blank façade. The front façade acts as a canvas, capturing the shadows and reflections of a large oak street tree.
On entry, one experiences an exaggerated threshold between interior and exterior, creating a charge of senses on arrival. In contrast to the modest and simple façade, on entering, spaces unfold, through the private sleeping areas, through the internal garden, and culminating in the main living, cooking and dining area.
The garden must be passed through and experienced to reach the main areas of the house. Located within the center of the house, one must continually move through and experience the garden; not only guests coming to the public areas of the home, but the occupants as they move from the public living areas to the private areas of sleeping and bathing.
Private areas of sleeping, bathing, study and reading are purposefully concealed from interior sight lines, whilst the public areas in contrast are completely open and connected to the internal garden.
Further connections are made between the internal garden and the space around the house, providing a layering of landscape and surrounding built form.
