Gidgegannup House in Perth, Australia

July 27, 2010 Category: House, Residential

Located in Perth, Australia, Gidgegannup House was designed by iredale pedersen hook architects. This project began as a delicate line in the landscape occupying the space between the ground and the sky. This delicate line transforms in to a sequence of platforms for observing the landscape. The act of inhabitation is enriched by the potential to manipulate ways of observing place and landscape.

While moving through the house one experiences the natural context in a variety of ways. At times these are specifically framed views, at other times they are abstracted views of the landscape. At times they create a sense of connection to the ground and at other times a distinct desire to hover above the ground. The connection to the ground is simultaneously delicate and brutal, the hovering house and balcony is counter posed by the semi-embedded pool and spa. This is a deliberate approach that questions the assumption that a house must ‘touch the earth lightly’ to be considered an ‘appropriate’ response to place.

The form of the building and selection of materials responds to the distinct farming aesthetic. Antipodeans often refer to Perth as suffering from an identity crisis, most new homeowners look to import inappropriate overseas ‘styles’. This design demonstrates that cultural identity can evolve through a sensitive and appropriate investigation of our own back garden rather than adopting a culture from another place.

Gidgegannup House Design by iredale pedersen hook architects