The judge house sits on a busy crossroad between Fendalton Rd and Idris Rd. Given its location, the brief considered highly the necessity of control of the traffic noise and provide privacy, while maximising solar gain and promote outdoor connection and lifestyle.
The project response is a secret garden, that is a closed patio which is expressed by a dualistic relationship between the outside and the inside. From the street the building expresses a sense of boundary and visual barrier through the dialog between the brick fence wall and the house itself; conversely experienced from the inside, the large glass openings and the layout arrangement create a perception of the internal spaces as an extension of the garden to the indoor.
The house itself is conceived as a thick wall, which sits strategically on the site to maximise the internal garden, while minimising and isolating manoeuvring and services spaces. That thick wall is then excavated from the inside to create the necessary connections to the garden.
The essence of the building is therefore revealed gradually, through the ritual of entering in it, according to which the understanding of the internal spaces cannot be obvious from the outside, and its enjoyment is subject to a gradual reveal of those ones at the time of their fruition.
The resulting design privileges the intimacy of the landlords, avoiding the spectacularizing of their daily life, through a sober and simple language that aims to create a calm and timeless piece of architecture.
The language is emphasised by the material choice of an earthy brick, which is itself partly chipped to enhance the natural feeling of an aged wall, waiting to be populated by climbers, to measure the passing time through the growing plants.
Such dichotomy is then emphasised through the celebration of contrasts, such brick walls contrasting against abundant green – the intention is to plant a lush garden – close against open, heavy against light, to give e deeper sense of dynamics to the architecture.