Shiplap House | Chenchow Little

Seventy percent of Australians live in suburban housing. This context is often overlooked in discussions related to increasing housing supply. This project, on a subdivided block half the size of its neighbours, allowed us to explore increasing suburban density without compromising amenity.

The character of the suburb has changed in recent years with exotic gardens and large masonry houses replacing the endemic planting and weatherboard fisherman’s cottages of early European settlement.

The façade of the Shiplap House is clad with white painted timber boarding to reference the materiality of the traditional fishing cottages. The openings within the façade are carefully sited to maximise and frame dramatic views over the harbour while maintaining privacy between the closely sited neighbouring houses.

Ventilation panels adjacent to each window provide cross ventilation and sun shading awnings provide a playful pattern to the façade. The house is set within a garden of endemic planting.