Northcote House

LLDS
Australia

The project reconceptualises the Victorian terrace typology in response to a narrow urban site in a former industrial laneway with a brown roof and a dramatic, light-filled interior.

The brief is for a house that supports compact, urban living and responds to the laneway. The site lies within a heritage zone but was used as a tandem car park for the commercial unit. It has a single entrance accessible from the laneway with a 2.5 metre level difference across the site.

The concept elevates the ground to form a roof garden, which reduces the urban heat island effect and supports local ecology. Below the free-form timber roof is the kitchen and dining hall with an entrance veranda. The highly textured concrete internal wall provides thermal mass and reduces flutter echo to the interior.

The design and procurement strategy utilises a network of local fabricators and craftspeople, tapping into the local manufacturing context, with more than 80 per cent of the building components fabricated within 10 kilometres of the site. Advanced technology, including robotics and Augmented Reality, was used to create intricacy in the design. The House reconsiders the terrace typology at an urban level as green fingers that would infill similar under-utilised urban spaces.

 

Furniture: Beds, chairs, wardrobes, and shelving designed by LLDS, fabricated by Power to Make, Outdoor bean bags by Fatboy. Lighting: Nemo Lightings, Lighting Republic, supply by Light Co. Finishes: Curtains: Warwick Fabrics by P&S Drapery, Bespoke upholstery: Wortley textilesby by Navascues Upholstery, Bathroom walls and vanity: Corian by Power to Make. Fittings & Fixtures: Bathroom tapware, showers and heated towel rails: ABI Interiors, WC pans: Duravit, Induction hob with downdraft exhaust: Bora, Combination oven: Bosch, Fridge freezer and dishwasher drawer: Fisher & Paykel, General Power Outlets and light switches: ZETR, Rondel glass: Artist, Ruth Allen and Jamfactory.

 

Photography: Tom Ross