Photography: Christopher Frederick Jones
A sloping block at north-west Brisbane’s 29-lot Stonehawke development at The Gap captured the design eye of Base Architecture director Shawn Godwin and his interior designer wife Natalie as the ideal site for their future family home.
“(We) wanted a house that would become our family home for the next 15 years and to be very much designed for our lifestyle with our two young daughters,” Godwin says.
“From the start it was going to be a tough project as the site is very steep but I knew that once we resolved the levels the planning (would) evolve quite well and now we get the best of all worlds in the views, the elevation, the openness, the nestling with the bush and wildlife which enables us to open the house up on to privacy.”
The end result is a geometric “charred box” wedged into a hillside that wraps around an “out of ground, off-form concrete pool” while a fusion of organic, raw materials such as sandstone rockwork, various species of native tall trees and swathes of spotted gum in flooring, joinery, windows and doors reflects the materiality of the house’s aesthetic.
Earthy hues echo the landscape and a mixture of rough sawn, stained plywood, galvanised steel and horizontal and vertical sections mimic surrounding tree forms.
The duo’s design of the Stonehawke House/Lot 16 has won a host of awards including the 2010 AIA Brisbane Regional House of the Year, Regional Commendation, Brisbane – Residential Architecture – Houses and the 2010 AIA Queensland State Housing Award.
As part of his practice Godwin also offers information sessions on building and renovating, the first of which, Houses – Renovating and New Builds, will discuss examples, construction costs, consultants and timeframes with a town planner and engineer also on hand to answer questions.
Seminar: Houses – Renovating and New Builds.
When: Wednesday, August 18, 6pm – 8.30pm (approx.)
Where: Base Architecture, 204 Days Road, Grange, Queensland.
Cost: Free
Contact: 3352 5899
Numbers limited.
Base Architecture
basearchitecture.com.au
shawn.godwin@basearchitecture.com.au
+61 409 268 890
+61 7 3352 5899
