2017 Think Brick Awards
Horbury Hunt Residential Award – Finalist

2017 Houses Awards
New House over 200m² – Shortlist

The Ivanhoe House seeks to contribute to the discourse of a home’s role to its inhabitants, visitors and wider surrounds. In exploring these themes important questions arise from the house’s place in the streetscape to the varying degree of public/private spaces and everyday interactions in which it will be involved.

We have explored the notion of the neighbourhood spirit, borrowing traditional materials in a neighbourly manner. However, in considering each new building’s obligation to a future city these materials and composition have been employed in an alternative manner and in less common finishes in an attempt to further the age-old evolution of the human habitat.

The familiar brick house in this instance is transformed into a composition of old and new. Though traditionally buildings in this area are firmly grounded, our frontage expresses the program within. The entry and corridor element is raised and is accessed by a prominent and public stepping and landscape arrangement adopting a more public persona. The lounge area to the right side is lower and floats over the landscape – appearing inaccessible to the public and using a reflective glazing to enforce the notion of privacy.

As this public element runs through the building it partitions the spaces into 2 groups. Following the higher space through will lead to the more public areas of entertainment, kitchen, dining and the north facing courtyard and pool. Whilst tucked in to the flanks are the more private areas of lounge and bedrooms, in some cases concealing themselves with jambless doors finished in seamless materials to downplay their presence to the visitor or guest.

The end result is a building both public and private, old and new, neighbourly and expressive. An exploration in the interplay between competing ideas and the whole they can become.