New Town White House

Located in a Heritage Precinct of New Town, this long narrow site had a challenging set of constraints. The successful design was informed by a number of competing factors – the shape of the site, the requirement to create a private, safe and secure home which focused on inward views and yet maximised sun to as many rooms as possible and providing opportunity for sunny and functional outdoor courtyards which connected physically and visually with the interior spaces. The use of smooth-face painted brick with alternating flush and deep tooled jointing inside and out was the critical design decision in the success of the built project. We saw the opportunity to increase the thermal massing of the and explore reverse brick veneer construction. Our preference to exploit the aesthetic qualities of the brickwork sat well with a desire to avoid adornment. The result is a strong geometric form with simple double storey face brick walling. The coursing and jointing became features of the living room. When viewed from afar, the deep tooled jointing creates the effect of ‘banding’ which softens the strong geometry and references the adjacent turn-of-the-century painted brick workers’ cottages whilst avoiding mimicry. The brick detailing creates dramatic shadows that evolve throughout the day. Photographer: Peter Mathew