PEAKABOO HOUSE
Photography:
Jad Sylla
Awards:
2020 QLD Architecture Awards COLORBOND© Award for Steel Architecture
Magazines:
Press:
As it was, the existing house was soundly built, with
concrete walls and hardwood floors. Why demolish such a house, well-positioned
to best use the expansive block? Why change what has made this house a home;
why not add something so that this home sustains the family’s culture and meets
their enduring needs?
The pavilion buildings suit two couples of different generations, but of the same family. The original home now only consists of the sleeping quarters and bathrooms for the older couple, and visiting family guests. With the living, dining and kitchen spaces now occupying the first of two new pavilions, the younger couple self-sufficiently reside in their self-contained loft-style studio in the second new pavilion.
This family and its culture thus remain close, despite both
couple’s, lives and independent activities, still able to be privately observed
within the confines of their own pavilion. Onlooker and passers-by cannot help
but sense the Peakaboo House’s individuality and envision the distinctive life
and activities within. At first glance, they are intrigued by the façade that
offers convenient, but less-than-obvious openings. So is it any wonder that
these strangers often feel drawn to approach and talk with those whom live in
the house, so they might understand its distinction, and thus satisfy their
curiosity.
Densification through communal living arrangements, is a fundamental characteristic to the outcome of this project; sharing land, building structures, amenities, and utilities between couples, where possible. Passive Heating and cooling elements function exceptionally well, in and around, all three pavilions. Pivot doors and windows work well to capture and funnel prevailing breeze. On a hot summers day, being inside has the feeling of residing under a generous shady tree. The remarkable ventilation that can be experienced on the site, lends itself to three strong axes that delineate the ground plane, and continuing through the building fabric, carving out three separate arrivals onto the site (and to/from each pavilion).
