Ha Ha Haus | FIGR Architecture Studio

Embedded into the landscape, ‘Ha Ha Haus’ is located in a leafy pocket of Alphington (Wurundjeri Country) where front fences are a refreshingly rare sighting.

Our client’s design brief centred around a close knit family home which caters for frequent visitors from overseas, intergenerational living and a transient occupancy. The single storey design addresses long term ageing–in–place and responds to the sloping site and adjoining context.

The floor plan is a donut form surrounding a central landscaped courtyard, a place of refuge and a key design element grounded on the passive solar principles of maximising cross ventilation and northern glazing to what most would deem a challenging site with a south facing backyard.

From the footpath, the project aims to give back to the streetscape into which it is sleeved. A landscaped mound beguiles and conceals a 20,000L rainwater tank and a low lying house.

Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Hub | Jackson Clements Burrows Architects

Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) is an Indigenous–led social change fellowship program based at University of Melbourne. The brief was to create an inspiring and culturally safe space for staff and visitors, and a welcoming place for leaders from Australia and the Pacific to collaborate.
Underpinned by extensive Indigenous engagement, the design process involved listening to and being guided by Indigenous voices. The design incorporates a Welcome space, Knowledge room, kitchen, amenities, open and enclosed offices, and an Elders’ Lounge. The layout and adjacency of spaces were functionally and culturally informed.
The Welcome space incorporates a contemporary interpretation of message sticks as a ceremonial space for connection. 60 message sticks were sent across the Country to be carved and marked by Indigenous artists. The Hub enables fellows to thrive in a culturally safe work environment while also meeting ambitious aspirations for environmental and cultural sustainability.

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