123 House

123 House is a newly built property for retired couples, located at a busy intersection in Nedlands, Perth. The house is orientated to provide maximum environmental benefits to the owners, with living spaces situated on the first floor where controlled northern light has opportunity to filter into the house during the winter months.

The incorporation of roof tiles through the articulated roofscape and wall elements have allowed for a seamless sculptural expression of form, with the roofscape allowing sun and ventilation to penetrate centrally through the house. A first-floor alfresco area provides security through its elevated position above the busy street, simultaneously providing the owners with an outlook beyond the confinement of the small site.

The design reflects the clients’ Greek heritage, while taking architectural cues from the arched forms and white painted walls of the surrounding suburb. Notably, the clients owned and ran an Ampol petrol station on the site for over thirty years before sub-dividing it and building this house for themselves. Memory of the former petrol station is embodied in the building fabric through the concrete impressions referencing the old Ampol logo and coloured glass referencing engine oil and petrol.