Latest news with #2025HousesAwards
Mercury
09-05-2025
- General
- Mercury
Tasmania real estate: Five Tasmanian homes short-listed for Houses Awards
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Five innovative Tasmanian homes have been short-listed for the annual Houses Awards. They made the cut for a range of award categories, from new builds to sustainability. Houses magazine editor and Houses Awards jury chair Alexa Kempton said many homes in this year's shortlist were ascribed to 'the radical idea of doing less'. 'Many of this year's short-listed homes show us that we should be designing smarter, rather than bigger,' she said. 'Increasingly, we see architects telling clients, 'You don't need more space – you need better design.' 'The jury observed modestly scaled new houses as well as clever interventions to existing homes, and applauded this continued emphasis on responsible residential design.' Wolfe House by architects Rosevear Stephenson was selected in two categories: Sustainability and New House Under 200sq m. The practice's brief was to create a cosy, modest, simple, efficient home designed for privacy, comfort, and minimal maintenance. It needed to provide pleasure, light, sun, passive solar design, and low environmental impact while integrating into the landscape and maximising views. Materials were used in their raw form and selected for their endurance and longevity. Reflecting on the project, the architects said they strove to make what is a small house feel expansive through placing external spaces at the core of the house. 'Proceeding through the courtyard to the covered deck presents both wings of the house but also the landscape beyond. In turn, the covered deck functions as external living, a corridor and communal space where guests and owner have both separation and connection,' they said. The home's owner said it brings her 'peace'. 'It connects me to the surrounding environment while feeling warm and protected inside,' she said. 'The compact, clever design caters for every need yet feels spacious because of its location on the high point of the site with full-length windows on the northern side encompassing the view, warmth and light. 'It is an undemanding and easy place to live in.' The winners of the 2025 Houses Awards will be announced at a gala event at the State Library of NSW on Friday, August 1. The shortlist can be viewed at TASMANIAN HOMES THAT MADE HOUSES AWARDS SHORTLIST New House Under 200sq m: Spring Beach House - Scale Architecture Wolfe House - Rosevear Stephenson New House Over 200sq m: Nebraska - Lara Maeseele House Alteration & Addition Under 200sq m: Coles Bay House - Ancher Architecture Office Pedder Street - Bence Mulcahy Sustainability: Wolfe House - Rosevear Stephenson
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Sydney Morning Herald
How an artist turned a tiny two-bedder into an award-nominated family home
Williams said the terrace had pokey rooms with very low ceiling height. They came up with the idea of adding a 'polycarbonate lid' on top of the old brick walls. Polycarbonate is essentially a plastic recycled material that is typically used in commercial properties. Translucent insulation between each layer of the polycarbonate material allows light to pass through, controlling the heat mode. 'It has a very long life span so you can eliminate other materials such as plasterboard and roofing,' Williams said. The polycarbonate addition wraps around the bagged-brick walls and the top of the building, and starts from 2.7 metres above floor level. 'It's this kind of light box that sits above you,' Dean explained. 'Below, we have traditional doors and windows that open up to allow for cross-ventilation throughout the house.' Williams said the skinny terrace typology was difficult to work with. The terrace is 3.6 metres wide. The front room has been retained as a flexible living space with a full-size bed to become a bedroom at night. A velvet curtain closes off the room. The front room flows through to a dining space that can be closed off by a curtain. On the opposite side of the dining room, a curtain closes it off from the art studio where Jay works. A stand-up bench doubles as a bed. The next series of rooms are bathing spaces. 'The bath sits in the middle of the house and can be fully opened to the entire house,' Williams said. 'It's a singular room for when Jay is alone, but there are also sliding panels for privacy.' The bathrooms flow through to the polycarbonate addition with its kitchen and living area. Upstairs, the front bedroom sits in the traditional part of the terrace and has a balcony. It has one of the few internal doors where the room can be closed off in a more traditional way. There's also a second bathroom and a loft within the polycarbonate build that can be closed with movable panels. Loading 'Rooms are multifunctional depending on the time of day and who is in the house,' Williams said. There is no artificial cooling, with just two fireplaces and operable timber panels. Polycarbonate, blackbutt timber and glossy amber tiles feature throughout. Wood admitted he was horrified by the initial all-cream pitch but came around to it, with the addition of dusty pink mosaics in the bathrooms and amber hues for benchtops and splashbacks. 'As somebody who enjoys art and colour, I was horrified when my architects presented the option of having an all-cream building,' he said with a laugh. 'It was hilarious. Then I came around to it, I saw their vision, and it's just perfect.' The project, known as House in Erskineville, has been nominated under the category of house alteration and addition under 200 square metres, for the 2025 Houses Awards. Winners will be announced at the State Library of NSW on Friday, August 1.
The Age
09-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Age
How an artist turned a tiny two-bedder into an award-nominated family home
Williams said the terrace had pokey rooms with very low ceiling height. They came up with the idea of adding a 'polycarbonate lid' on top of the old brick walls. Polycarbonate is essentially a plastic recycled material that is typically used in commercial properties. Translucent insulation between each layer of the polycarbonate material allows light to pass through, controlling the heat mode. 'It has a very long life span so you can eliminate other materials such as plasterboard and roofing,' Williams said. The polycarbonate addition wraps around the bagged-brick walls and the top of the building, and starts from 2.7 metres above floor level. 'It's this kind of light box that sits above you,' Dean explained. 'Below, we have traditional doors and windows that open up to allow for cross-ventilation throughout the house.' Williams said the skinny terrace typology was difficult to work with. The terrace is 3.6 metres wide. The front room has been retained as a flexible living space with a full-size bed to become a bedroom at night. A velvet curtain closes off the room. The front room flows through to a dining space that can be closed off by a curtain. On the opposite side of the dining room, a curtain closes it off from the art studio where Jay works. A stand-up bench doubles as a bed. The next series of rooms are bathing spaces. 'The bath sits in the middle of the house and can be fully opened to the entire house,' Williams said. 'It's a singular room for when Jay is alone, but there are also sliding panels for privacy.' The bathrooms flow through to the polycarbonate addition with its kitchen and living area. Upstairs, the front bedroom sits in the traditional part of the terrace and has a balcony. It has one of the few internal doors where the room can be closed off in a more traditional way. There's also a second bathroom and a loft within the polycarbonate build that can be closed with movable panels. Loading 'Rooms are multifunctional depending on the time of day and who is in the house,' Williams said. There is no artificial cooling, with just two fireplaces and operable timber panels. Polycarbonate, blackbutt timber and glossy amber tiles feature throughout. Wood admitted he was horrified by the initial all-cream pitch but came around to it, with the addition of dusty pink mosaics in the bathrooms and amber hues for benchtops and splashbacks. 'As somebody who enjoys art and colour, I was horrified when my architects presented the option of having an all-cream building,' he said with a laugh. 'It was hilarious. Then I came around to it, I saw their vision, and it's just perfect.' The project, known as House in Erskineville, has been nominated under the category of house alteration and addition under 200 square metres, for the 2025 Houses Awards. Winners will be announced at the State Library of NSW on Friday, August 1.
