Lockyer Residence in Bardon, Queensland, Australia

August 12, 2010 Category: House, Residential

The Lockyer Residence, located in Bardon, Queensland, Australia, designed by Shaun Lockyer Architects is a small, contemporary extension onto a post war house in Bardon, a heavily treed and hilly fringe suburb in Brisbane. The design looks to address two primary architectural issues – the first is about context and language, the second is about finding the ‘essence’ of what is needed from an accommodation / resource perspective in an effort to create a engaging but practical and economical outcome.

The extension is essentially a ‘pod’ added onto the end of a post-war house which, whilst largely leaving the original house intact, allows for the overall outcome to be reprogrammed. The architecture is unapologetic in its overt, contemporary nature that sits in stark contrast to the original. Notwithstanding this bold move, the original proportions and integrity of the cottage are left intact to preserve the virtue of both. The planning, layout and architecture of the space is centred on the family, the connection to the landscape and the engagement with the sky.

The space was designed to address the cold winters and to allow for increased summer breezes, both of which were deemed inadequate in the original cottage. The extension was an experiment in achieving a qualitative outcome at a very low cost. The process afforded a relatively high degree of craft and joy in what is essentially a very simple, easy to construct little box.

Lockyer Residence Design by Shaun Lockyer Architects