Stuart Harrison - Treehouse

Written
by
Jenny Butler
Writer
Jenny Butler
19th of October 2011

Another impressively designed small home from Stuart Harrison's 2nd book Forty Six Square Metres of Land Doesn't Normally Become A House, today's home the Treehouse is located in sunny Brisbane. - Jenny x

Treehouse as seen in Forty Six Square Metres of Land Doesn't Normally Become A House. All photos - Christopher Frederick Jones

This is the amazing Treehouse in suburban Brisbane, the work of local architect Brian Steendyk. It’s a major renovation of a small ‘Queenslander’ cottage, with the new elements covered in these fantastic laser-cut rusted steel screens. They do several things at once (as all good design should) – reducing the heat of the sun, screening direct views to the neighbour (and vice-versa), and adding decoration. It’s a wonderful effect especially at night when light from inside seeps out, and the house glows like two lanterns.

The two sections of the house are separated by a courtyard in the middle – and this is one of great ways to bring light into the middle of a house, especially on a longer block. It’s also good for natural ventilation, and here two outdoor spaces are formed around the rear pavilion, which has open living space downstairs and a main bedroom above.

All photos - Christopher Frederick Jones

The project is one of several that have full bleed double page spreads in the layout – they are moments of openness in the book, which has deliberately dense design. They act a bit like parks in the city – the all-important areas of amenity we are drawn to.

- Stuart

Similar Stories