Tree Island House #architecture Architects: Carter Williamson Architects Year: 2022 Photographs: Katherine Lu Structural Engineering: Cardno City: Alexandria Country: Australia Tree Island is a family home that rises above its constraints, turning its limitations into its most striking features. Just four and a half meters wide internally, it maximizes space by reaching up high against the neighboring warehouse conversion to the south. A substantial void at the center of the home connects the living, dining, and kitchen spaces, its long, north-facing skylight illuminating every element of the family life cradled gently within. A small courtyard offers a calm buffer between the existing home and the contemporary addition, while a glorious fig tree planted directly into the kitchen island blurs the connection between indoor and outdoor space. A breathtaking void enshrines the core of this young family’s home, its most essential living, dining, and kitchen elements bathed in natural light and filled with greenery. Sited in a heritage conservation area in Sydney’s inner west, Tree Island climbs higher as it moves back from the street, where from the rear it catches the eye with a staircase encased in curved, patterned brick. It houses three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a study that opens onto a rooftop garden that feels as though it is nestled in the trees of its leafy street. Concrete floors, dark marble counters, and a striking double-height brick wall provide a cool, robust material template contrasted by the kitchen’s rich timber joinery and softened with luxurious furnishings. The building’s thermal mass keeps it cool in summer and warm in winter, while the north-facing skylight provides year-round illumination. Home to some of the inner west's most expansive spaces, Tree Island’s airy verticality transcends the limitations of its tight footprint.

The Jungle Residence #architecture Architects: ROOM+ Design & Build Area: 1350 m² Year: 2025 Photographs: Sonmeo Nguyen Art Studio City: Ho Chi Minh City Country: Vietnam

We Should Be So Lucky House #architecture Architects: Multiplicity Area: 60 m² Year: 2022 Photographs: Emma Cross City: Melbourne Country: Australia This little house, originally designed by architect David Luck, is a well-recognized, iconic part of its urban streetscape. However, despite being less than 10 years old, the exterior required considerable remediation for it to shine into the future, and the interior to be reworked to eradicate builder faults and fulfill our client/s needs. Our philosophy when either renovating or adapting architecture for reuse is to re-purpose what we can. We are respectful of what is good and analytical of what can be made of what is there, intervening decisively and of our time as/where needed.  That said, an architect and their architecture always predate any renovation, and we have worked on many significant projects by the contemporaries of William Wardell and the likes of Henry Bastow, Anatol Kagan, Roy Grounds, and Robert Grace, but never someone we know personally. David Luck is a friend and a wonderful architect. We contacted him, of course, and he wasn’t overly concerned about what we might do, even suggesting we pull it down and start again. Given the relative newness of the project and its brilliant concept of adding greenery to the streetscape, our role was to make good, let it be its best representation of self, and layer the original with what was needed to fulfill our client/s brief. Our work consists of numerous interventions to resolve a set of specific concerns. Externally, this was done by remedying the galvanic corrosion of one metal to the other so as to ensure the longevity of the exterior, as well as resolving issues with the water pumps and irrigation of the façade’s garden beds. FRP security screens were also added to shield the interiors, not only physically but also visually. That said, there was little in terms of interior flair to be found. What was there could have been more spatially challenged, poorly executed, and certainly not commensurate with the original concept for the house. Our internal interventions were, we hope, respectful and, while important to give the building longevity, sit comfortably inside the original form. Hinged doors were replaced with sliders to reclaim what little space there already was, and custom joinery was installed to address the lack of storage. The bathroom was remodeled to address a leaky shower and oddly located laundry cupboard, the former being opened up to create a sense of spaciousness that belies the building’s small footprint, and the latter being relocated to the once rarely used upstairs balcony. The dingy kitchen was reconfigured to provide more functionality and prep space so as to imbue a feeling of generosity and openness in such a small space, with the living area having custom seating built in to host the client/s dinner parties within the confines of such a small building. Ultimately, our aim was to convert this local landmark from house to home and make it work even harder on its pocket handkerchief site whilst always sympathetic to the original vision.

Whipbird House #architecture Architects: Minnow Studio, Zerni Area: 1100 m² Year: 2023 Photographs: Timothy Kaye Country: Australia Perched on the crest of the ridgeline of what could be Noosa Hinterland’s most breathtaking location lies Whipbird. Brutalist in style yet simple in its T-shaped pavilion form, Whipbird is a home that adopts a deeply poetic response to the environment, cultivating a close, meaningful relationship between its inhabitants and the unique and natural surroundings. Nestled in the heart of Doonan, in what is possibly the Sunshine Coast’s best-kept secret, Whipbird takes full advantage of the panoramic hinterland and coastal views whilst generating an environment of contemplation and relaxation. The five-bedroom home is broken down into two distinct wings and split across two levels, with landscaped terraces leading out to facilities including a 20m Naked Mineral pool, a Supergrasse tennis court built into the natural fall of the land, a bathing court, 3-car garage, 6-car court and cascading courtyard gardens adding layers and depth to the outlook. A total of 16,735 native trees, plants, and groundcovers were planted into the property surrounds, enforcing the home's architecture while preserving and enhancing the site’s natural character and connection to the environment. Sharing a unique passion and respect for quality materials and finishes, Zerni enlisted the help of a formidable team of designers, suppliers, and collaborators to bring Whipbird to life. This team includes Architect of the 2022 HIA Australian Home of the Year Winner, Jen Negline from Minnow Studio, global interior stylists Space Furniture, Landscape Architects The Conlon Group, Swiss-made V-ZUG appliances, Italy's premier Travertine producers, Artedomus, handcrafted stone producers Granite Works, timber specialists Made by Storey, Natural Brick Company and many more. Upon visiting the site for the first time, developer Jayden Zernich from Zerni was enamored by the location’s natural beauty, tranquility, and stunning outlook over the Noosa hinterland and coastline. “The air felt clear, the whipbirds were humming, every sense was stimulated in the most calming, uncontrived way. The vision became clear: to create a secluded and private reprieve from the open surrounds of the hinterland, where nature’s beauty is accentuated, and luxurious living is epitomized. I am confident that Whipbird presents a new level of craftsmanship yet to be seen on the Sunshine Coast,” said Zernich. The house has a strong tectonic character thanks to the materials' expressiveness. The entire ground floor of the house is wrapped in black shiplap cladding by Abodo wood, blending into tonal grey handmade Roman Lutyens bricks by Natural Brick Company, light grey granite, and large black-framed windows, which encase the picturesque view. The palate of the home is raw, robust, and hardwearing, emphasizing the tactile experience of the materials with respect to texture, pattern, color, and geometry. The materials were chosen to integrate the house with the landscape, with the dark walls disappearing into the background of the forest and the light walls above receding against the sky. Ocean Blue Travertine, originating from a single quarry in Italy and sourced by Artedomus, features heavily throughout the kitchen and living areas. A whopping total of 87.9 tonnes of ‘Rustic’ granite was supplied by Granite Works, presenting in the form of free-standing hand-carved baths, vanities, tiles, pavers, cobblestones, and pool coping. The floors and walls are adorned in European French Oak flooring by timber specialists, Made by Storey, and the kitchen and scullery boast state-of-the-art Swiss-made appliances from VZUG, including the CookTop Wok, CookTop Teppanyaki, and multiple wine cooling fridges.

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From Inside Looking Out House #architecture Architects: K-Thengono Design Studio Area: 1435 m² Year: 2024 Photographs: Indra Wiras City: Kecamatan Penjaringan Country: Indonesia

The Echo of the Sea Holiday Home #architecture Architects: Entopos Architects Area: 140 m² Year: 2024 Photographs: Giorgos Sfakianakis Photography, Yannis Fais City: Crete Country: Greece

Apple Marina Bay Sands #architecture Architects: Foster + Partners Year: 2020 Photographs: Finbarr Fallon, Fabian Ong Location: Singapore Apple Marina Bay Sands creates a new distinctive presence on Singapore Bay. The 30-metre-diameter structure is a fully glazed dome with a black glass base, complementing the sister pavilions through its scale and materiality. The design is the result of a close collaboration between Apple’s design teams and the integrated engineering and design team at Foster + Partners. David Summerfield, Foster + Partners said, “Apple Marina Bay Sands is all about the delicate interplay between transparency and shade. The structure dissolves the boundary between the inside and outside, creating a minimal platform that floats gently in the water, looking out over the bay and the spectacular Singapore skyline.” Structurally, the dome acts as a hybrid steel and glass shell, where the grid of steel sections support the weight of the glass and shading, and the curved structural glass panels restrain the steel elements laterally and stiffen the overall form against lateral loads. Integrated solar shading devices keep the interior cool. Each of the 114 panels of glass is carefully selected to meet glazing indices as prescribed by BCA Green Mark, Singapore’s own sustainability rating system. Each of the multifunctional concentric light sunshade rings reduce in size as they progress towards the top of the building, providing acoustic absorption for the store. More importantly, they diffuse and reflect daylight to the baffle above, creating a magical effect and dematerialising the structure. At the top a semi-opaque oculus provides a dramatic shaft of light that travels through the space, reminiscent of the famous Pantheon in Rome. Stefan Behling, Foster + Partners said, “The dome appears ephemeral. The effect is very calming, and the changing intensity and colour of the light is mesmerising. It is not only a celebration of Apple’s incredible products, but a celebration of light.” The garden city ideal of Singapore flows from the promenade into the interior spaces, with ten trees placed along the perimeter providing additional shading and soft shadows through the foliage. Set within leather-topped planters, they also provide comfortable places to sit and enjoy the ambiance of the store and the fantastic views of the marina The store can be entered through The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands via a beautifully curved stone entrance, flanked by Apple’s signature Avenue display on either side of a 45-metre long and 7.6-metre wide space. This leads directly to a set of dramatic escalators that take visitors on a “kaleidoscopic” journey to the heart of the spectacular domed space. This contrasting transition from the heart of the retail centre to the Apple dome offers the customer a dramatic and exhilarating experience. It culminates with spectacular views across the bay and towards the city. During the day, the dome reflects the colours of the surrounding water and sky, while in the evening the subtle interior lighting provides a warm glow and enhances everyone’s experience of Singapore’s spectacular skyline.

Music Box House #architecture Architects: Multiplicity Area: 345 m² Year: 2021 Photographs: Trevor Mein City: Melbourne Country: Australia A throw away comment by one half of our clients, a gentleman in his late 70’s and an artist of national if not international standing; that he’d never had a house designed for him, for them, a home... This resonated with us. His excitement and expectation of the possibilities was palpable, as was the gentle understanding that time to experience this home was not open ended. It reinforced the precious opportunity a client gifts their architect. Another inciteful ‘thought out loud’ moment was that the building should be designed such that it could be embraced by the neighborhood. Our explicit role then was to gift the community a beautiful building. Given a triangular site bounded on two sides by pedestrian traffic, this makes for pleasing a lot of people. Then we have a not insubstantial brief for a not insubstantial home including basement, lift, car stacker and separate studio. This brings us to the very disparate personal tastes of our clients. One likes high volumes, one likes intimate spaces, one is a minimalist, the other a collector of things… natural, textured, patinaed, a love of objects with history, the scratches and bruises of  past use. Both wanting an abundance of natural light, while loving the play of shadow, wanting the inside to seamlessly shift to the outside while remaining private to the teams of passerbys. To display their trophies of a life well lived, the books, the art, the furniture, the collections, the objects, the records, the dog, the visiting family, the pots, the pans, the l can’t throw this away objects, the heirlooms, the trophy trophies...all needing a space, a home. All this on an awkward block… with height restrictions and a flood level for good measure. Backing onto a park filled with substantial gums and rowdy galahs. Knowing that the site and program expectations were not the greatest of bedfellows, we chose our consultants carefully. A builder who's not afraid of detail, materiality, or tight sites and an engineer who would work closely with us. We discussed the landscaping from the very outset of the project. We measured and cataloged the entire list of the client’s objects… As is usual, the plan works hard to resolve the constraints inherited. To provide privacy from the passing parade, while presenting a generous, homely aesthetic on all sides. To create vistas from room to room over fledgling landscaped spaces, while the built form responds directly to place, and the materiality which quietly mimics the colour and textures of parkland to its northern flank is carried through internally. The tall / small thing…. well, we played with height throughout, using coffered ceilings to the primary living spaces to mediate the expectations of both clients where, from the corner of the room one registers the bottom of the coffers, giving a cozy, intimate feel. And then when moving through the room the height of the ceiling becomes apparent… problem solved - job done.

Villa Beusi #architecture Architects: Calvi Ceschia Viganò architetti associati Area: 250 m² Year: 2021 Photographs: Aldo Amoretti Design Team: Calvi Ceschia Viganò architetti associati Country: Italy