Kombumerri people of the Yugambeh nation
Queensland
Gold Coast and Northern Rivers
Dolphin Court House is a multigenerational house for a family of five and visiting family. Habitation of the house encourages engagement with the subtropical climate. One arrives not at a front door but front gate. This opens onto a landscaped courtyard with views to the canal beyond. This courtyard is the organizing device for the two main wings containing bedrooms and living. The living wing opens on both sides creating a seamless connection with the adjacent landscape and canal beyond. The courtyard and gardens throughout internalise the view, reinforce the connection to landscape, provide access to balanced natural light, microclimates for passive ventilation and privacy on a site heavily overlooked by neighbours. The planning also accommodates varying models of future multigenerational living. Robust materials were selected for their connection to place and enduring qualities. Â
Dolphin Court House is a refined response to its constrained canal-side setting, delivering a generous multigenerational home attuned to climate, landscape and future living. A sequence of spatial moves dissolves the site’s limitations, organising living and private wings around a landscaped courtyard that promotes light, ventilation and delight. Exceptional detailing and collaborative resolution of complex structure and services elevate the architecture, while robust local materials and seamless indoor outdoor connections create a calm, enduring and profoundly engaging place to live.
Award for Interior Architecture
This canal-side multigenerational residence on the Gold Coast is, above all, unmistakably shaped by its owners – joyful, considered and finely crafted. Arrival unfolds as a carefully choreographed sequence through a landscaped courtyard, establishing an immediate dialogue with the water beyond. Two wings are organised around this central heart: living spaces open generously to the northern aspect and canal outlook, while the bedroom wing retreats for privacy where it is most required. Large timber-framed sliding doors dissolve the boundary between interior and landscape, extending daily life to the edge of the water. A private firepit at the canal’s edge offers a quiet place of retreat. Australian-made long-format bricks define the architectural expression, their strong horizontal coursing reinforcing the building’s grounded profile and lending a quiet monumentality to the canal frontage. Considered rather than ostentatious, it is a calm and confident addition to the Gold Coast waterfront.
Commendation for Interior Architecture
Dolphin Court House is a refined response to its constrained canal-side setting, delivering a generous multigenerational home attuned to climate, landscape and future living. A sequence of spatial moves dissolves the site’s limitations, organising living and private wings around a landscaped courtyard that promotes light, ventilation and delight. Exceptional detailing and collaborative resolution of complex structure and services elevate the architecture, while robust local materials and seamless indoor outdoor connections create a calm, enduring and profoundly engaging place to live.
Award for Interior Architecture
This canal-side multigenerational residence on the Gold Coast is, above all, unmistakably shaped by its owners – joyful, considered and finely crafted. Arrival unfolds as a carefully choreographed sequence through a landscaped courtyard, establishing an immediate dialogue with the water beyond. Two wings are organised around this central heart: living spaces open generously to the northern aspect and canal outlook, while the bedroom wing retreats for privacy where it is most required. Large timber-framed sliding doors dissolve the boundary between interior and landscape, extending daily life to the edge of the water. A private firepit at the canal’s edge offers a quiet place of retreat. Australian-made long-format bricks define the architectural expression, their strong horizontal coursing reinforcing the building’s grounded profile and lending a quiet monumentality to the canal frontage. Considered rather than ostentatious, it is a calm and confident addition to the Gold Coast waterfront.
Our home is fun. Naturally when on water you wish to create a home which celebrates its aspect. One thing we truly love is while we have ability to open the house up and enjoy the water, we also have the ability to remain private and intimate, particularly in spaces where privacy is of more importance to us. We have remarkable balance in our home, between inside and out, between connection and seclusion, between activity and repose. What we love most about the house it is unmistakably us.
Matthew Eagle, Design Architect
Lisa Miller, Graduate of Architecture
ME, Landscape Consultant
ME, Interior Designer
ME, Lighting Consultant
Westera Partners, Structural Engineer
UPS Planning, Town Planner
Bennett + Bennett, Surveyor
Pinnacle Engineering, Civil Consultant
Louigi & Control Studio, AV Consultant
Pacific Getoech, Geotechnical Engineer
Dipcon, ESD Consultant
McCarthy Consulting Group, Certifier