Davenport House is a family home in a semi-rural suburb on the outskirts of Brisbane.

Situated on an elevated site, the home integrates the remnants of the existing garden and responds to southern, eastern and western views over nearby hills and valleys.

THE BRIEF

The brief was for a new home for a family of four which would take advantage of the semi-rural location and views for a casual subtropical lifestyle. The client requested three bedrooms, a guest room, separate studies, a music room, and a variety of living spaces that expanded onto the existing garden and generous outdoor living areas.

DESIGN RESPONSE

The house is conceived as being anchored to the site, with stone terraces that emerge from the sloping ground. These terraces form the ground planes internally and externally, upon which a lightweight structure clad in timber boards provides varying levels of enclosure.

Its form and character are inspired by the pragmatic utilitarian buildings of the area. The local vernacular includes simple timber structures clad in battens or timber slabs with openings to serve particular functions.

According to the architect, some of the home’s most striking features include a single room-wide plan which allows excellent cross ventilation in the hot, humid summers, and raw, natural finishes such as honed concrete floors and extensive use of spotted gum timber. Other notable features include double height volume to the master bedroom with a two-storey-high glass wall highlighting the view down a narrow valley, and generous outdoor living areas that merge seamlessly with the indoor living areas.