2014 National Architecture Awards: Residential – Houses (Alterations and Additions)

Jury citation

Strohmayr House is a renovation of a much-loved elevated home built in pre-cyclone Darwin. At the centre of the design is a large outdoor living space surrounding a pool – the focal point of the garden. The existing house remains a dominant element and the three new buildings borrow their formal language from both the porosity of this building and its connection with the outside space. The children’s bedrooms and the living space are still housed within the original building.

Together, an open kitchen and large covered verandah form a separate building element facing north and west. On the opposite side is a third building housing the master bedroom and, below it, the guest room. Connections between the buildings are open and casual, enhancing the sense of porosity, and you immediately feel relaxed upon entering the compound.

This is a house in which the spaces outside are as much a part of the architecture as those inside. The outside areas are dramatic, generous and welcoming. The large overhangs and deep outdoor zones respond to the tropics in a sensible way, but more than this they are welcoming and protective, lending the residence an uplifting flamboyance.