Back to nature: Most popular houses of 2017

In 2017 it has become almost a cliché in residential architectural discourse to discuss “meaningful connections” between architecture and landscape. But while the descriptions of the integration of landscape into houses may be common place, the architecture itself remains thrilling. This year’s most popular houses published on ArchitectureAU reflect this preoccupation, with the top five all deeply concerned with their relationship with the Australian landscape.

5. Bardon House by Bureau Proberts

Drawing in surrounding bushland and establishing new internalized landscapes, Bardon House by Bureau Proberts intimately engages with its context and climate. Its ridge-top site in inner-western Brisbane looks north across a bush reserve into a copse of magnificent trees. Below, a dry gully cuts through the centre, doubling as a public walkway that morphs into a watercourse during episodes of torrential rain. Read more…

Brick House by Andrew Burges Architects.

Brick House by Andrew Burges Architects.

Image: Peter Bennetts

4. Brick House by Andrew Burges Architects

A layered arrangement of volumes and materials gives this Brick House by Andrew Burges Architects a spatial richness and complexity that balances privacy and outlook. It features a rear elevation that reaches out into the backyard, with a “covered garden room” extending into a deck area. Read more…

Courtyard House by Figr Architecture.

Courtyard House by Figr Architecture.

Image: Tom Blachford

3. Courtyard House by Figr Architecture

A subtle arrangement of garden courtyards creates an oasis of greenery all year round for this new suburban house by Figr Architecture. The central courtyard presents as an enclosed oasis in the middle of the house and views are created through the courtyard to the living, dining and kitchen, where the line between internal and external spaces is blurred. Read more…

Ivanhoe House by Chiverton Architects.

Ivanhoe House by Chiverton Architects.

Image: Tatjana Plitt

2. Ivanhoe House by Chiverton Architects

Located in Melbourne’s leafy inner north, this project is a discrete addition tucked neatly behind the original weatherboard house. It’s an open and transparent two-generational home that makes the most of its bush setting. Read more…

Donaldson House by Glenn Murcutt.

Donaldson House by Glenn Murcutt.

Image: Anthony Browell

1. Donaldson House by Glen Murcutt

It is perhaps fitting that the architect whose motto is said to be “touching the earth lightly,” and whose work has consistently focused on working with the Australian landscape tops this list. Glen Murcutt’s Donaldson House was completed in September of 2016 and listed for sale in April 2017. Sited on a steeply sloping 715-square-metre block in Palm Beach, 45 kilometres north of Sydney’s CBD, the house is surrounded by native bushland and has views of Pittwater to the west. It has yet to be sold. Read more…

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