B&B Residence

B&B Residence

Recently awarded a Commendation at the 2018 Houses Magazine Awards in the Alterations and Additions over 200m2 category, this project re-invigorates the life of an existing Queenslander cottage in inner city Paddington, Brisbane.

Questions and Answers with Hogg&Lamb Architects

Can you give me a project overview?

The B&B Residence re-invigorates the life of an existing Queenslander cottage in inner-city Paddington. A new extension is carefully considered to mitigate the issues of a steep site and overlooking neighbours, creating platforms and private courtyards that extend the functioning ground plane. Internal and external volumes interlock, expand and compress in a delightful sense of play, with geometric barrel vaults defining the significance of rooms. Views are edited while portions of the sky, trees and mountains are carefully framed through a series of openings, peepholes and voids.

Tell me about the aesthetic direction you took.

The owners are committed minimalists, and this drove the aesthetic of an elegantly bleached palette and stripped-back surfaces. The removal of superfluous materials led to a focus on ‘volume as room maker’ with memorable barrel vaults defining significant rooms. The crisp aesthetic of the new exterior amplifies the character of Brisbane’s subtropical setting: sharp light and shadow, bright blue skies and lush green landscapes, in deference to vernacular exemplars. Interior surfaces subtly reflect and play with natural light, while the restrained palette of materials and finishes highlight the essential qualities of what remains in a heightened atmosphere of calm.

What did you enjoy about the project?

Planning strategies and material selections focused on the client’s request for a ‘peaceful house’, and post-occupancy feedback has been positive. The distance between the master bedroom and children’s rooms, initially viewed by the client as radical, is now cherished. Seeing architectural concepts improve people’s lives is very satisfying. While i wouldn’t consider myself to be a minimalist, the effect of removing superfluous materials and colour from the project has proved successful – the subtle movement of light, the blue of sky, the green of lawn, and the turquoise of water are truly experienced in a serene atmosphere. I think I’m a convert!

Hogg&Lamb Brisbane, Australia

Hogg and Lamb is an architectural design practice based in Brisbane, with experience in award winning residential and commercial projects. The studio combines the energy and enthusiasm of a new firm, with decades of experience designing and delivering high end residential and boutique interior projects.

hoggandlamb.com

Photography Christopher Frederick Jones [CFJ] architectural photographer

www.cfjphoto.com.au