Teneriffe is a leafy, inner-city suburb of Brisbane bordering Fortitude Valley to the northeast and the Brisbane River to the north and Walker House by KP Architects is a beautiful response to the verdant landscape that engulfs the area.
Walker House sits on a site that is rich with history; the area once being a busy hub for the local wool trade. The architect's aim was to nestle this home into its surrounds by using a simple composition and restrained palette mixed with timber and concrete. The combination of these materials brings a restrained quality that both adapts to the environment and honours the industrial heritage of the Teneriffe area.
Blending brick with the natural landscape
From the street level of the home, gorgeous grey brick columns merge with the traditional Australian landscape. The subtle timber-clad garage allows the large jacaranda tree to command its star position at the centre of the frontage.
The site presented some challenges to the teams at KP Architects and builder, Crowndale Properties, due to its narrow and steep formation. To overcome these challenges, Kon Panagopoulos, Director at KP Architects, carefully structured the site to allow a seamless connection and flow from the street level, right through to the open-living backyard.
"On a narrow and steep site, the house terraces down to the north. A series of schemes were presented to best address the site constraints and to carefully manage the terrain," explained Panagopoulos. "After considerable consideration, it was agreed to locate the living spaces at the lower level grounding the house, allowing seamless connection to the backyard."
Creating an intricate and timeless façade
The architect specified the sophisticated neutral shade of Flannel Grey* from PGH Bricks, creating wonderful depth variation in the home's interior and exterior walls, evoking a feeling of soft country elegance and style in an otherwise dense urban environment. Flannel Grey* bricks internally, the soft textures exude warmth and simplicity, providing the home with an effortlessly peaceful and calming tone. Pairing this brick with the timber and concrete has rounded out a wonderfully intricate and timeless design. The simple and restrained palette thrives in Teneriffe's natural environment. "A simple composition and restrained palette of materials consisting of brick, timber, and concrete were selected to act as a natural backdrop and to enhance the quality of the spaces," said Panagopoulos.
Consistent with the design philosophy of using Flannel Grey* bricks to complement the different textures of the home, the rear outdoor living space includes a beautiful brick fireplace. The grand yet understated brick fireplace typifies the peace and serenity of the oasis-like space and acts as a central design element that pins all the spaces together.
"The living spaces spill out to the rear outdoor areas that are anchored by an external brick fireplace that frames the view of the surrounding trees and buildings, creating a peaceful and calm setting in a highly populated urban environment," Panagopoulos added.
Walker house is testimony to the fact that if the right materials are specified, it is possible to create a graceful, contemporary home that can not only blend to its surrounds but give a nod to an area's historic significance
Choose PGH Bricks & Pavers for your next project
PGH Bricks & Pavers is an Australian brick leader and a preferred brick supplier for architects, interior designers, and builders. To discuss using PGH Bricks & Pavers' products on your next project, contact your nearest PGH distributor, or request some samples from our team. Images by Brock Beazley Photography. *Flannel Grey is no longer available, check out other grey bricks from PGH here.
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