The Hakea House is named after an native tree that blooms after fire. Tragically this project for the most part came about after the existing house was largely reduced to ash in a fire. The pre-fire house consisted of three sections – the front original historic (for Brisbane) cottage (1920s), the middle two storey extension from 2008, and the rear extension that we designed which was built in 2021. The rear extension was fortunately saved from the fire. The design of Hakea House thus had to accommodate a number of key constraints – the surviving 2 storey rear extension which housed the master bedroom and outdoor bbq space under; the pool; and the need to rebuild the front cottage for the most part to avoid a fight with the local council over the character of the house as seen from the street.
The traditional form of the original front cottage was very much that of a roof building creating a pavilion within a landscape setting. The design of the rear extension in 2021 re-imagined this roof building type with a folded origami like roof that when combined with non-orthogonal geometry accommodating existing trees, and a heroic two storey vine mesh screen, created a playful two storey ‘folly.’ While having a conversation with the heritage cottage, the folly extension had a very different relationship with the landscape. Rather than sitting detached above the garden, the extension sought to merge with it and draw it up to the living spaces, dissolving the subject / object relationship.
The new middle portion of the house design (2023) was the bridge between traditional front cottage/pavilion and this playful rear ‘garden folly.’ Accommodating the main living spaces at the upper level and second living and bedrooms on the ground floor, its plan negotiates between the orthogonal cottage geometry and angular ‘folly’ geometry. This middle portion of the house pulls back from the pool terrace to create a dramatic north facing double height garden court bringing light and greenery in the heart of the house. The court also enables a visual connection between the upper living spaces, mid-level pool terrace and lower second living. A retractable awning structure at roof level spans over the garden court and pool and creates a frame that visually contains the three realms. The materiality of the house deliberately shifts and negotiates between the front cottage and surviving rear extension. The plywood and timber interior of the tree house like master bedroom is continued into the new living spaces but with an added dark verandah like edge to the garden court. This dark timber lined interior spills down to the lower level which with its dissolved glass edge merges with the garden. Anchoring the assembly is a dramatic musk-pink muscular concrete column made deliberately organic in finish that rises over both levels. Pockets in the concrete that accommodate epiphytes captures the essence of the project – an immersion in the garden and a gentle embrace of the place that is sub-tropical Brisbane.
Environmental design strategies include:
maximisation of passive ventilation through high level windows, sliding batten screens and large openings
maximisation of northern light and winter sun penetration
together natural lighting of interior workspaces
low VOC internal paint system
rain water harvesting with 23kl of storage
15kw solar with battery
recycling and reuse of demolished hardwood wall and roof framing
