Innehållsförteckning för Habitus #41 - Regional Excellence från Habitus

Happy anniversary, dear reader Welcome to our 10th anniversary issue of Habitus. For me, Habitus has been unwavering in its mission: to seek out the best architecture and design from our Region, the Indo-Pacific, and show how it both serves and expresses the way of life of the people who live there. Each issue has been a snapshot or moment in time capturing the state of the industry: the ideas that compel us, the issues we face, the innovation that thrusts us forward, and the success that motivates us. One could easily chart the movements of our design community using issues 1-41 as timestamps. So, for this very special issue, the team is proud to present our 2018 Habitus House of the Year selection. Carefully curated at the hands of…

Nicholas Fuller’s FLOOR LAMP is a paired back yet inviting lamp for contemporary living. The small but crucial mechanical components of the lamp have been designed and manufactured to the highest level. The light’s interactive nature invites the user to control the height by adjusting the counterweighted pivoting arm. nicholasfuller.com.au Japanese-based Australian designer Liam Mugavin recently exhibited this series of seating, UNCONFINED BY CONVENTION, for Criteria Collection. Exploring cultural and design narratives referencing home, domesticity and traditional Japanese aesthetics, the collection uses reclaimed Australian wood and traditional Japanese woodworking techniques. The result is a humble range showcasing the dark patina of the timber within refined silhouettes. liammugavin.com; criteriacollection.com.au…

From a young age Grace Mortlock and David Neustein – directors of Other Architects – were exposed to a mindset that recognised the value of architecture and design, as well as the ability to use it as a medium to challenge and provoke thought. David’s father is an architect and town planner and Grace’s grandfather the celebrated Australian modernist architect Bryce Mortlock, partner in the famous Ancher Mortlock & Woolley practice that adapted modernist Scandinavian architecture to Australian conditions. Growing up in families where the daily conversation was about architecture and planning, you wouldn’t be surprised if a younger generation took up the pencils and set square as well. Sure enough, David and Grace did indeed go down that path. But distinctly in their own way. Not exactly turning their…

What makes a house worthy of the Habitus House of the Year shortlist in the eyes of StylecraftHOME? There are multiple factors to consider when critiquing residential architecture for it to be a fair and just assessment. For a house to be worthy for Habitus House of the Year, we would pay special attention to the following: the house should feature a distinct and unique design language with at least one defining feature; how a residence fits in amongst its neighbourhood and natural surroundings; show an awareness of impact on the environment; finally, use of sustainable methods and materials. Ultimately though, the resident has to find it comfortable to reside within. What are the key considerations you would look for? The physical nature of the house for starters i.e. design,…

St Vincents Place in Albert Park is one of Melbourne’s most coveted addresses. The heritage-listed Victorian streetscape, with its intact period homes, appears to have been preserved in aspic since the mid-to-late 1800s. However, behind one of the largest Victorian terrace frontages in the street is a fine contemporary home designed by B.E Architecture. The only sign of a contemporary gesture is the leadlight surrounding the Victorian-style door, with said leadlight speaking of the present rather than the past. Had everything been intact, the renovation by B.E Architecture would have been considerably different. But apart from the 250 millimetres of brickwork that constituted the northern façade, virtually every other Victorian detail had been decimated by previous owners, including its use for several decades as a convent, not to mention the…

The site is in a relatively dense inner suburban area characterised by early 20th-century, single-storey cottages. However, this plot accommodated a fairly grand 4.85-metre-wide, two-storey Victorian terrace house. It was positioned in the corner of the plot which suggested to the co-owners that a second dwelling might optimise the use of the site giving each their own residence. Realistically, the useable land was not sufficient for a truly habitable free-standing house. The solution was to join the two houses with a party wall and, inside, take 700 millimetres away from the width of the existing house. This left an interior width of 4.2 metres for each house and leaving the new single-storey house a very modest 3.7-metres street façade. The façade, though, is subtly designed with a low-rise concrete garden…

When a family of four bought a de-consecrated church in Glen Forrest, a small timber town just 30 kilometres east of Perth, they weren’t sure how to make it a home. “It would have been cheaper and easier to buy a regular house in Perth, but I saw this as a possibility to do something really beautiful,” says the owner. The couple have long ties to the area and were scouting for a house block when they discovered the 1903 heritage-listed former church was for sale. “My husband has been visiting Glen Forrest to ride mountain bikes for 30 years, and when we first visited the church, we just fell in love with it,” she says. They engaged architect Adrian Iredale to guide them on a journey that would take…

Bali is forever active with new residential projects, many – if not most – of them repeating the idea of ‘Bali-style’. While they claim regional authenticity, in fact it is largely a combination of pastiche and decorative landscape gestures. This house, however, is the real thing – not in the sense of replicating vernacular domestic architecture, but in the way it quietly references the structures and materials of traditional homes. A longitudinal structure running east-west (and so minimising exposure to the sun) it is on a plot of 1,277 square metres and sited overlooking a golf course. The upper level (the private and bedroom area) appears solid and enclosed and, with its high-pitched roof and timber shutters, suggests the traditional village or kampong houses of Indonesia and Malaysia. The lower…

When we launched a decade ago, the instant success of Habitus – reflected in the extraordinary and sustained sales figures – confirmed our belief that we were offering a unique product. This would be a magazine like no other magazine in the world. Sounds a bit boastful, I know – but true. Firstly, Habitus brought together the best residential architecture and design from the Asia-Pacific (these days the Indo-Pacific) incorporating South-East Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Much of this work was unpublished and so its excellence unappreciated. Secondly, we prioritised way of life over lifestyle. The aim was to show how people lived on a daily basis and how outstanding local design and products sustained that way of life. And talking of sustainability, the new wave of architects…

A Sydney apartment housed in the Art Deco Franconia Building needed a unique flooring solution to maintain the renovated space’s sense of elegance and taste. Precision Flooring’s PENZA engineered flooring, with its natural and aged oak-coloured grains in mid-brown tones, delightfully offsets the apartment’s more contemporary aspects. This helps provide a sense of visual and historic harmony for the home. Made from high quality, solid recycled oak, the flooring is as welcoming and warm as it is reliable. Photography by Tom Ferguson precisionflooring.com.au The new 61 centimetre indoor/outdoor refrigerator drawers from Sub-Zero Wolf are sized to work in multiple small space settings. No matter if you’re dining indoors or al fresco, the advanced features keep your food fresher longer and make your experience more delicious. au.subzero-wolf.com Designed by Ross Gardam…

THE VANITY – a result of collaboration between WANT Les Essentiels and Harry’s – is a bold piece that makes a statment. A full length mirror sitting atop a leather upholstered seat, The Vanity has a hook on one side for a jacket or bag and a slim tray on the mirrored side for small, peronsal items. wantlesessentiels.com Inspired by the way in which a piece of fabric is tailored into a form-fitting garment, Tait’s SEAM collection emanates timeless style, durability and usability. Spanning commercial to residential applications, the collection forms a family of seating and tables comprising six typologies. Seam sees a dining chair, stacking chair, bar stool, dining table, café table and bar table working together as a family of rich, personable furniture. madebytait.com.au Technē Architecture + Interior Design…

“The most important element in design is the people. We design for the people,” says architect Yann Follain, co-founder of WY-TO. With offices in Singapore and Paris, WY-TO works across a large variety and scale of projects from exhibition, installation and interior design up to cultural, public, residential and mixed-use developments. But despite the size or typology of the project, the focus remains firmly on designing for the end user to improve their daily experience and quality of life. “Good design is not necessarily spectacular. You see what is big and loud, but often you have understated projects that are truly and sincerely changing the lives of people. And this is design you don’t see,” says Yann. Yann established WY-TO in Singapore in 2010 and opened WY-TO in Paris in…

This long, narrow late Victorian terrace house in Melbourne’s North Carlton appears relatively understated from the outside. Part of a row of early 20th century terraces, it is only the home’s first floor, partially clad in black zinc, which suggests an architect may be involved. Designed by leading Melbourne architect, Robert Simeoni, the house (home to a couple with two teenage children) offers a sense of calm reflection not normally associated with inner-city living. “We wanted to make the internal spaces feel intimate, in contrast to the regular foot traffic on the pavement,” says Robert Simeoni. He approached this renovation as a series of ‘moments’: quiet pockets to gravitate towards within the home that allow the family their own spaces, as much as coming together. Julian, the owner, comments: “What…

Liam Proberts is a principal in the outstanding Brisbane architectural practice, bureau proberts, and he designed this house for himself and his family. It has all the modernist rigour and functionality that mark the practice’s work, but it also has a warmth and sensuality that derive from two contextual issues close to Liam’s heart: the rich architectural vernacular of this fringe CBD suburb and the lush tropical landscape it overlooks. The suburb is typified by ‘Ashgrovian’ bungalows (1920-30s), a blend of the Queenslander and Californian bungalow. The Ashgrovian dispenses with the Queenslander’s central entry and corridor, but retains the gable roof, enclosed verandah (or sleep-out), entry porch, the use of timber batten screens and various decorative elements such as latticework. Bardon House responds to this context not with pastiche, but…

ANDREA STEVENS MUTED COLOUR #66 Seasoned design writer Andrea Stevens has been bringing over ten years of real world architectural expertise to the pages of Habitus since issue one. Reflecting on our unique position in the Asia Pacific Region, Andrea sees our design culture as one where different ideas developed in different climates are brought together. A design language defined by lightness, “a slightly frail and temporary kind of architecture,” she notes. DEREK SWALWELL HAND CRAFTED #100 Derek Swalwell is one of Australia’s best-known and most respected architecture and interiors photographers. Through his years of experience he has fully traversed Australia and the Asia Pacific, documenting unique and beautiful in design in our Region. As for what he’s come to love, “It’s the mix of practices and styles; differing flavours…

The SAMPAN collection from apaiser, entrenched in the local history of Singapore, combines functionality with elegance. It is a symphony of clean lines and geometry, adorned with subtle detail – such as infinity overflow, polished and textural surfaces and elements driven by usability and comfort. The result is architectural in its simplicity and yet the dynamic shapes create a sense of the theatrical. The collection features double and single baths and basins, as well as a creative shower bath design. apaiser.com Designed by renowned mid-20th century designer Svend Aage Holm-Sørensen, the recently discovered BEAK BIRDS are charming teak birds with personality, the teak design will change and age with time, creating a unique and lasting impression. warmnordic.com Iittala highlights the versatility of its glass colour library with the launch of AQUA,…

In 1971 Verner Panton designed the PANTHELLA light for Louis Poulsen. In 2016 it was reimagined as the PANTHELLA MINI and this year it shines bright anew with its updated chrome finish. As the metal chrome exterior mirrors and playfully distorts its surroundings, the Panthella MINI becomes an integral part of a given space, enriching and enlivening our interior spaces. louispoulsen.com The INDE. Award winning REMNANTS table series from Josh Carmody is a reimagining of what is possible with table design – inspiring interior designers and architects to reuse their stone, tile and timber samples. Taking the form of a clamp system, the legs support the clamps which can hold any manner of stone such as marble or granite. This then forms a unique side table, or paired together, tables…

This is one of the most fascinating houses I’ve seen for a while. I live around the corner, so watched closely as the previous house was removed and the new one started taking shape. The only thing the two dwellings had in common was their brick cladding. While the original 1940s house sat in the middle of the wedge-shaped site, the new house settles its road boundaries. What was once solid is now open. And what was once side yard is now built over. The little brick box is now a brick wall that protects yet connects the private site with the public realm. The 700-square-metre corner site presented a few challenges – its awkward wedge shape and position on a corner of the busy Point Chevalier Road, for a…

At first glance, it is hard to imagine the porosity of Open House. An entirely opaque, timber-clad wall on the first storey camouflages the front door while above, a feathery crop of plants on the car porch roof and matrix of louvred panels prevent any direct exposure to passers-by. And yet, an exploration of this home designed by architect Gwen Tan (a partner at Formwerkz Architects) for her family comprising her young son, mother, mother-in-law and husband Berlin (also a partner in the experiential, multi-disciplinary design studio) reveals otherwise. The name of this home is fitting, for it is closely intertwined with nature. Fronted by a side road that faces another row of houses, it is blessed at the rear with a verdant park, home to tall, leafy trees which…