Mt Coot-tha House | Nielsen Jenkins | Photographer: Tom Ross
2021 QLD State Award Winner for Residential Architecture - Houses (New) | Mt Coot-tha House | Nielsen Jenkins | Photographer: Tom Ross

QUEENSLAND SHORTLIST
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
Category
NEW

Introducing the Shortlist for RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE (NEW)

The following projects have been shortlisted for the 2022 Queensland Architectural Awards, in the Residential (New) Category. This page will continue to list shortlisted project until the last of the 2022 Queensland Regional Events have concluded in Townsville on the 10th of June 2022. The result of the 2022 Queensland Architecture awards will be revealed via livestream, which will be shown at the presentation event on the 24th of June 2022 at the State Library of Queensland, and also available via Youtube.

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Toowoomba House

The Toowoomba House sits on a large, gently sloping site under a remnant grove of enormous gum trees just north of Toowoomba with views across the Lockyer Valley towards Brisbane.

The project was conceived of as a quiet, horizontal shadow beneath the verticality of the gums above.
The house itself is pulled apart into a series of pinwheeling modules that serve to edit neighbours from the view and create a series of three courtyards of different orientations, scale and typology. These courtyards become flat areas within the natural slope of the site that are open to sunlight and the view, but protected from overlooking and the cold south easterly winds that blow up the valley.

At the centre of this plan is the key ‘room’ of the house – a protected courtyard with a sculptural fireplace at its heart and the canopy of the gums above as its ceiling.

By Nielsen Jenkins

Photography by Tom Ross

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Toowoomba House nestles gently into an undulating sloping site between two stands of trees, the naturalistic landscape of an olive grove and a remnant stand of enormous gum trees. Equidistant between Toowoomba and Crows Nest the site enjoys expansive views across the Lockyer Valley towards Brisbane. The approach to the site is gentle, incrimental and carefully curated,  the pin wheel plan-form and the arrival courtyard welcoming and folding one within its territory.  The planning resolution is refined and offers flexibility alongside intimacy. The pinwheel layout proffers offerings near and far, carefully calibrating both built and natural terrain to advantageously frame key sight lines while creating sheltered courtyards and expansive outdoor spaces. There is a level of control that the house bestows, with a play of heavy and light materials, lightness and darkness, and an ability to comfortably and protectively fit within its landscape.  Evidencing an astute understanding of the Eastern escarpment climate, control of apertures within the building allows the façade to be altered to suit prevailing weather conditions. A palette of robust materials bunkers humbly into the site and rests as a shadow beneath the mature gum trees. Reference to sensitive mid-century detailing and form create a wonderful hierarchy between scales, inside and outside spaces, further highlighting the majestic experience of landscape.

Banksia House

Drawing inspiration from the Banksia Integrifolia native to site, the house responds to the challenges of living against the Northern NSW coastline. A robust, yet environmentally and economically focussed building, Banksia House offers its occupants a heightened connection to ‘place’ and emphasises the importance of custodianship.

By Aphora Architecture

Photography by Andy Macpherson

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Modestly scaled compared with many of it’s neighbours, this site sits especially well on it’s site & makes the most of the existing trees. The planning has all living spaces to the east & no windows facing directly west.  All the rooms have cross-ventilation & the high-level glazing provides abundant light & views to the tree canopies. The materials palette is restrained & colours reflect the coastal location & vegetation.  Detailing has been carefully conceived & then finely crafted on site. A great coastal house.    This house is a delight.  From the sculptural blockwork entry screens that house incorporate the letterbox through the whole of the building there is an obvious level of care & attention to detail that all really good architecture exhibits. The site planning started by mapping the existing mature trees – banksias & tuckeroos.  The layout of the spaces maximises the connections between inside & out with natural ventilation on at least 2 sides of every habitable room.  In addition, the high-level glazing gives views of the sky & the tree canopies while retaining privacy. Roof overhangs are generous & carefully designed to provide shade in summer while allowing winter sun to penetrate to warm block walls & the concrete slab.  Materials are robust – exposed blockwork, charred timber cladding concrete & glass – & able to withstand the rigours of the coastal environment.  The only regular maintenance required will be the timber window frames & rafters.  Timber batten privacy screens with insect mesh designed in allow the home to breathe 24 hours a day as well as heightening the beach sounds. Bathrooms are simply laid out & elegantly detailed. The design draws references from far afield to create a home that feels intrinsically linked to its location.

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Coastside

‘Coastside’ celebrates position.

The architecture produced by award-winning practice, degenhartSHEDD, invites cooling breezes, balances light-filled spaces with pools of shade, and makes living across three floors seamless. The upside-down top-floor living has been designed to capture ocean and city skyline views, with the mid-floor devoted to sleeping, studying, or working. The functional ground floor is poolside, ideal for guests and entertaining. In the clients’ words, “Our architect designed the home we wanted”.

The enticing facade not only fits comfortably in its beachside Gold Coast neighbourhood, but also hides a house full of versatile space and surprises, with the narrow block and footprint soon forgotten. When entering this home, expect character and comfort. Features range from a ‘super-kitchen’ to a snug window seat, while gentle angles dotted around the home make narrow spaces wide and low ceilings high.

“For our family, this is successful architecture.” — Andrew and Caroline

By degenhartSHEDD architecture + urban design

Photography by Tom Anthony

Citation:

This is a very clever solution to maximising the opportunities possible on a narrow 405 sqm site. The beach is close by & raising the living spaces to the top floor allows glimpses as well as reducing the impact of the adjoining properties. The main living space is a great room & the roof terrace an unexpected bonus. External materials are strained & the form is simple as dictated by setbacks but is skilfully proportioned. The planning allows an opportunity for dual occupancy at ground level.

Watersedge

Watersedge is a sophisticated, efficient, waterfront duplex development. The design rationale was connection, sanctuary, liveability and place making with the principles of a courtyard design enabling dual aspect for living spaces. Occupants can enjoy a northerly aspect to a private, protected, landscaped courtyard whilst simultaneously enjoying southerly water views. The living spaces can be completely opened up from the water through to the garden or closed and adjusted to suit the required functionality. Immediate and distant views connect one to the home’s place within the context of the area and region. Environmentally conscious, the duplex enjoys plentiful natural light, natural ventilation, passive heating and passive cooling.
A rich and refined palette of raw materials, colours and textures used internally and externally allows the design to flow between spaces with an elegant, contemporary, resort-villa aesthetic. The connection to place is harmonious, one literally feels they are living on the water’s edge.

By Jamison Architects

Photography by Remco Photography

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A meaningful engagement with the southern canal front view was the driving thought behind the residences. Upon arrival the entrance opens to a central courtyard, greeting the visitor before the space extends onwards to open into the main living space, embraced by the vast waterfront beyond. This theme is recurring, preserved in the design to create a home that first welcomes and offers experiences with nature.  Providing a backdrop of simple elegance, the fine edges and sharp lines of the rectilinear forms break down the massing offering a textured fabric of frames and trellises.

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Ridgewood house

Ridgewood House is located in the Noosa hinterland on approximately 20 acres. Arrival at the house is via a long, undulating track that twists and turns through gullies of original rainforest. The long, north facing linear building that soars over the site celebrates the magnificence of the natural environment. The building is slender with fine edges and large eaves that shelter the occupants from the elements, while having the ability to open completely. Rain water is harvested, an on site waste water facility is included as is solar electricity all contributing to the self sufficiency of the house. A large existing shed on the site was re clad in galvanised iron sheeting and a new covered steel awning was added to unify it with the house. Part of the shed has been repurposed into a ceramicists studio. House materials include steel, glass and concrete, meeting fire rating BAL 40 requirements.

By Robinson Architects

Photography by Nic Granleese

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The Ridgewood house exemplifies a considered and rigorous response to site and its subtropical context.  The planning regime demonstrates a skilful organising strategy along a contour of an extremely challenging site.  An existing shed bought back to life as a studio workspace and tool/machinery shed is re-clad in galvanised iron to form a distinctive reading of the broader contextual relationship with place. The conceptual development of the parti, with rainforest as walls, dissipates enclosure to the purity of platform and protective shelter.  Organised along a circulation spine that connects two linked parallel wings to the external condition, the internal spaces provide simple retreat and connection to the terrain the building settles into. Prospect and refuge is bracketed by the escarpment that shelters a rear courtyard whilst liminal prospect over the valley to the north is framed by exquisitely detailed structural steel spans and tapered rafters floating over a peripheral bank of clerestory windows, configuring a deft handling of subtropical architecture that is at once resilient and elegant. This project draws you deep into the experience of place with a refreshing inventiveness and lightness of touch that epitomises the Sunshine Coast school of architecture and speaks to the clarity and skill of the architect’s body of work.  

Witta Circle

Witta Circle is a heavily landscaped, waterfront, courtyard house that mediates between the opportunities (and constraints) of a site that has its aspect and view on opposing edges. The “C” plan is the intuitive manifestation to this challenge, with the southern edge of the “C”, a transparent, light-filled pavilion offering a transparent and connection to the water’s edge. The concrete skeleton provides a robust base to the charred timber cap that expresses itself as a “shoji” screen to the north, while the southern edge is defined by a landscaped “fringe” that adorns the house. This is a house of two personalities, with an introverted street facade and an extroverted relationship to the Noosa River. The materials, form, skylights and planning all centre and celebrate the sense of being riverfront and how best to engage with it in a casual, enduring way.

By Shaun Lockyer Architects 

Photography By Christopher Frederick Jones

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The courtyard typology is cleverly re-imagined in the Witta Circle house which turns to embrace the river’s riparian edge and landscape escarpment. With skilful complexity the pool sits in repose to the formal indoor/outdoor living room with the pool walls used as a device to bring light to a subterranean living zone. The extensive cantilevered concrete upper level floor plate belies the intimacy contained at the ground level living space, reminiscent of the classic beach houses of times past. An intuitive response to the client brief the project is imbued with elegance, with a planning regime that floods the house with natural light, ensuring graceful endurance.

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Mt Mellum House

Two pavilions form an ‘L’ formation around a landscaped courtyard, protecting the home from western sun and inclement winds. The courtyard level matches the original peak of the site. The wet edge swimming pool defines the opposite edge, creating the home’s focus. A space in which to sit or lie outdoors, move through, and to observe from. Landscaping creates a subtle reflection of the greater environment: the pool – ocean; the grass and mounds – plains and hills; the native bushes – distant mountains of the D’Aguilar Range.

This is a home for observing the landscape; its secluded, elevated position offers constantly shifting views of clouds and their play over the ocean, plains, and the ancient monolithic forms of the Glasshouse Mountains. These vistas are available from exposed, dynamic positions where one can be immersed in nature and the greater landscape; or where one can pull back from it and observe in comfort.

By Sparks Architects

Photography By Christopher Frederick Jones

Citation:

Mt Mellum house gently reposes around the high point of the landscape marking its territory with an external courtyard that is at once internalised as a reflective and contemplative microcosm of the vast granite peaks and sculptural form of the D’Aguilar Range and surrounding south east Queensland landscape. The conceptual framework for the building is expressed in the charred Australian Spotted Gum clad shadow like form that recedes to become an element of the landscape itself.  The plan and sectional diagram is a simple L-shape arrangement that reveals judiciously framed views on a highly exposed site. The essential self-sustaining nature of the project represents a modest well-considered diagram of precisely articulated exhilarating gestures.  

Live Work Share House

The Live Work Share House comprises a house, office, and self-contained flat. We have called the project by this name as we designed it as a test case for the way in which flexible adaptable living and working could be achieved on a suburban block. The need for such housing types is pressing given the issues of housing affordability, the need for more smaller homes given the reducing prevalence of the nuclear family, the increasing numbers of people working from home (especially now in these Covid times), and the need to densify to sustainably house a growing population.
The principle aim of the design was to ensure that the live/work/share components happily co-exist whilst achieving for each component an obvious entry, engagement with the street, visual and acoustic privacy, passive ventilation, good solar access, and connection to greenery and outdoor spaces.

By Bligh Graham Architects

Photography by Christopher Fredrick Jones 

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This prototypical dwelling skilfully takes full advantage of the opportunities a dual street frontage block can provide. ‘Live Work Share House’s’ spatial flexibility and adaptability comes alive, while tectonics, cross ventilation, and orientation are simultaneously addressed with great care and confidence.  The dwelling provides solutions to issues surrounding housing affordability, remote working, and the need to house a growing population through the rigorous testing and execution of options for occupation.  Planning of the ground level includes an orchestrated cluster of micro courtyards that gives permeability and resilience to the building no matter what it’s future use or guise. Hierarchy is achieved with the upper floor littered with bedrooms and through corridors that makes it light, airy, and infinitely liveable in our benign climate. Privacy is also addressed playfully with ‘curtained’ boundary walls and coloured fiberglass sheets. Gardens between and around the built form ground the composition with a productive connection to land which also gently soften its edges.

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Earl Parade

The Earl Parade project explores an alternative approach to small lot housing in the subtropics. The house is centred around an “internalised” garden room – a significant two-storey volume host to a verdant subtropical garden and family gathering space.

Located in Manly, Brisbane, the project is finely calibrated to its bayside setting. The program of the house is contained to an efficient plan on the southern half of the site, establishing a favourable and broad aspect along the house’s long, north-easterly façade. This strategy enables daylight access and ventilation to the full depth of the plan, through all seasons of the year.

The project endeavours to eliminate the disconnect between built form and landscape, through the poetic arrangement of space, light and void. It exemplifies how spatial consideration and thoughtful planning can be deployed to create a delightful experience within low-cost housing, prioritising space and comfort over details, products and style.

By Cavill Architects

Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

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A brave experiment in low-cost building form, this commendable idea creates a climatic utopia of a long suburban block with limited prospect.  A generously scaled internal courtyard successfully provides an abundance of greenery and natural light and forms an open, yet protected sanctuary.  Skylights are deftly placed over the greenery, extending the interior spaces outwards, while boundary walls and circulation spines cleverly maintain strict privacy and views of controlled spaces.  Site overland flow restrictions are made a feature turning a problem into an opportunity. Materials and details are simple, well considered and consistently applied whilst providing a backdrop to the greenery. Thresholds compress and release, when necessary, with pathways framed by low plinth walls that turn into resting spots or conversation corners in a heartbeat.

Winship Shed

Winship Shed is a three-bedroom, family home built on a steep infill block in the Brisbane suburb of Red Hill. Conceptualised as a ‘jewellery box’, the home presents a tough and protective exterior that belies a delightfully soft and liveable interior. The client’s brief was for a modest, family home with a simple form under-pinned by a logical structural rhythm. The home draws inspiration from the old brass foundry shed perched on the opposite side of the valley and the traditional Queenslander character of the neighbouring houses and so the ‘suburban shed’ was born. While the home is private and protected from the outside, like the jewellery box that inspired its design, it provides a bold juxtaposition to the light and material richness found within the home and the joy in discovering the spaces and details within. Winship Shed is well orientated to the north-east, maximising natural light and ventilation.

By Reddog Architects

Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

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A modest budget, which set the driving parameters for this dwelling, has not been to its detriment with an entry sequence and set of spaces that are both impactful and appropriate. Living spaces are playfully tall and well ventilated, while a raised floor threshold to the bedrooms sets up the clear spatial hierarchy.  The dark exterior shell provides a sense of wonder of what will be revealed inside and contrasts well with the light and bright internal spaces.  The change and simplicity of materials and colour from entry, to living and bedrooms reinforces the planning parti and gently assists with a sense of simplicity, comfort, and ease.

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Minoko

Minokõ, a family beach house, provides shelter in its highly exposed location while delivering stunning views and protected indoor and outdoor spaces. An external copper shell and burnt timber cladding allow the building to weather into its environment. External timber battens, milled on the client’s rural property, and other long-life materials enhance the natural response to its location.
The section follows the extraordinarily steep hillside and the setbacks for this narrow block taper the north and south facades up to the whale watch which gives close to 360degree views up and down the coast and inland to the island’s forested ridges. The desire for connection to ground has resulted in protected court-yards at the 3 entry levels all providing framed views of beaches and bushland.

By Conrad Gargett

Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

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Sea air, wind and sun can be brutal, and this Point Lookout home is made to withstand, last, and thrive against these elements. A parasol copper roof protects and provides opportunity for an unexpected interior spatial play that connects the upper and main level. A lower family space allows separation of the family unit with flexibility for meaningful connection around the covered outdoor spaces. Stunning distant views are captured and assist in making memorable spaces internally.  The entry courtyard, double height living room and the flexibility of the kitchen bench, successfully provides the opportunity to transform living into entertainment space for showcasing music.

New Farm House

New Farm House is an inner-city oasis that embraces the long, sloping site on which it sits. The overarching goal was to achieve harmony with the environment and integrate as much landscape into the house as possible – which meant building less house and more garden. The largely un-enclosed lower floor is made up of spaces that, while undercover, feel much more like a garden. Inside, the occupants can manage breezes and the sunlight to suit their own comfort and amount of privacy, by manipulating the skin of the building. In plan, the house is segmented into three pavilions allowing each room to vent into adjacent voids and be open to views of the intermediate gardens. As a cherished ‘forever home’, New Farm House is designed for much of home life to be lived outside in the mild subtropical climate, celebrating openness and the Australian landscape.

By Tim Bennetton Architects

Photography by Toby Scott

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Rooms within a garden best describes the composition of the ground floor of this dwelling.  The interaction of planted edges is present from the outset at the entry and through to the outdoor living spaces.  An elevated family room and kitchen commands views to the yard, interior courts, and sky.  Edges are considered and crafted to provide ample light, privacy, and ventilation simultaneously.  Operable windows and doors throughout the living spaces provide an ambiguity of enclosure which enhances the connection to landscape and creates a sense of being in an external room.  The integration of workspaces within the home is executed with skill and sets up the ground level as a semi-public playground of pavilions.

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8 BEACHFRONT MIRAGE

Long term visitors to Port Douglas and keen golfers Helen and Miro Sloup found the last block in Beachfront Mirage with direct access to the Mirage Golfcourse for their new tropical beach house.
“We fell in love with Roger’s concept immediately. Bedroom suite pavilions allow privacy with views of garden or pool, both brilliant.
Flow is remarkable, no hallways.
Living and entertaining areas capturing views whilst finding glimpses of the beach and ocean beyond with separate private retreats throughout, amazing.” Miro said.
Architect Roger Mainwood describing the home as “ long thin double storey, single room width plan, additional single storey pavilions scattered in the garden. This allowed all spaces to be orientated to prevailing breezes with extensive louvred walls, large format doors that disappear or pivot opening to the garden view.”
“ We immediately removed all circulation and stairs to the exterior creating separate tropical, landscaped rooms to pass through.”

By TPG Architects

Photography by Jasmine Axon – Coco & Palm Productions

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Beachfront Mirage embodies tropical living with landscaped courtyards and rooms to move through open and unenclosed circulation.  Single width form provides transparency to the outdoors and great cross ventilation through uncomplicated and elegant planning. It provides a tropical and breezy element as requested by the client with stylish flexible spaces including the clever use of movable wall panels, doors and walkways. The residence outwardly provides an openness while maintaining a security aspect.  Living and entertaining areas capture views whilst finding glimpses of the beach and ocean beyond with separate private retreats.   The house sits very well in the streetscape addressing the neighbours in character and scale. The entry gate opens to a native landscape and raised path with views to the golf course, a delightful entry journey. The client wanted a residence they could share with family and friends, and with this design it undoubtedly achieves this whilst providing privacy between the various building elements.  

LONG HOUSE

Envisaged as a modern take on a rural barn, Long House maximises natural ventilation and provides a practical, durable home that fits the acreage context. Meeting the client’s requirement for a home in which they can age in place, the design offers flexibility for spaces to be used for different purposes as needs change, while still being a cost-effective and simple initial construction.

The use of zincalume steel and fibre cement cladding, combined with the clean and simple form of the home reference agrarian building typologies such as shearing and machinery sheds and challenges the suburbanisation of semi-rural residential developments. The interior design features blocks of bold colour contrasting against the otherwise minimal material palette to emphasise the form of the home, particularly the long hallway that defines the space.

By Tomas O’Malley Architect

Photography by Paul Beutel

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Long House by Tomas O’Malley Architect is a refreshing surprise in a Bundaberg acreage subdivision. The extruded plan is reminiscent of a rural barn and its deceptively simple design includes details and materials to achieve a robust and cost-effective build. Inside, bold colour and patterns reflect the creativity of its inhabitants and adaptable spaces, generous circulation and a three-way bathroom allow for ageing-in-place. All rooms have a northern aspect to the backyard with the southern, street elevation textured with a wall of shutters which moderate cooling breezes, daylight and privacy along the spine of the house.

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