Home reno ideas 2021: ‘Floating house’ that has changed all the rules
Is it a mirage, a modern Aussie masterpiece or somewhere in between? Either way the traditional home will never be the same again.
There aren’t too many homes that seem to float above water but this modern masterpiece genuinely does.
Known as Riverbank House, the award-winning home is positioned on a steep block on the edge of the Brisbane River, in inner suburban Highgate Hill.
The one-of-a-kind home pays homage to the iconic Queenslander form, but in a modern context with timber and concrete the materials of choice. And of course, that incredible floating effect.
Blank canvas
Hamilton Wilson, managing director of Wilson Architects, the group that designed the home, says it was envisaged to accommodate a maturing family while also taking advantage of its enviable inner suburban location beside the river.
“Empty-nesting was on the cards for the clients, their kids had well and truly grown up,” says Hamilton.
When the clients’ previous home in Clayfield burned down, Wilson Architects assisted them to find this unparalleled riverside property. A unique feature of the site was a landscaped easement down to the river.
Hamilton says the easement was hand-constructed around the same time the existing dwelling was built in the 1940s, which was left laden with asbestos and rot, and later demolished.
The existing home couldn’t be salvaged due to a major white ant problem, so the project was started from scratch.
“You rarely get a river, a significant heritage riverbank and an easement down on one side of the property that is fully landscaped as well,” he says.
He says the clients had a clear brief for their new home, which was four years in the making, wanting it to be deeply connected to the riparian site.
“We set out to leverage the extraordinary landscape, as part of the experience of the property because it is so unique,” says Hamilton.
The design of the contemporary home makes it feel like it continues into, and above, the steep landscape, he says.
Every inch of the property was thoughtfully designed to fulfil the clients’ wish that their new waterfront home be strongly connected with the nature surrounding it.
The appeal
With Australians unable to travel overseas and in need of a luxury lifestyle boost, waterfront living is in high demand across Australia, according to property experts George Bougias, from Oliver Hume, and Property Council of Australia’s Jen Williams.
“There has been a nationwide trend to regional communities,” says Jen.
George, the national head of research at Oliver Hume, agrees and says buyers are lapping up opportunities to live by the water.
“Being on or close to the water has always been so highly sought-after and Covid has really shaken the tree,” says George.
“We’re seeing a lot of buyers saying ‘well, if I can’t jump on a plane and travel overseas, how do I get my release”.
And that is when architecturally designed new builds come into play, he says.
George says with more people working from home, buyers are designing luxury homes with health, wellbeing and sustainability becoming major focuses.
And Jen agrees. She says there is a definite trend of people wanting bigger homes in areas that provide lifestyle benefits.
“People want spaces that will make them feel happy and relaxed, she says.
A new take on the traditional
The lower level of the multimillion-dollar home is reminiscent of the understorey of a high set Queenslander, while the remainder of the home ‘floats’ above it,” says Hamilton.
“The client’s main bedroom has extraordinary views to the river. Their bedroom is on the river edge … it’s like it floats.”
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home blurs the boundaries of the interior and exterior spaces and fully immerses the living areas with the river landscape in a strategic layout.
“We wanted to make the house feel like it almost continues into that landscape. If you look to the south, the house disappears and virtually floats over the river. It becomes quite visceral,” says Hamilton.
“There’s a whole lot of delightful moments as you walk through the entry, there’s a timber pavilion with an exposed hole cut into the wall. All these are curated as part of a sequence.”
Inside the home, it’s bespoke to whatever area they are in, Hamilton says.
“Concrete was used deliberately so we could run the garden wall through the house and out the other side. It’s a durable material that will age gracefully.”
Raw materials such as stone and timber have been used wherever possible in keeping with the natural theme of the home.
Unique concept
Hamilton admits the project did come with some challenges.
“It’s not a standard home but we did lots of studies around how it could contribute to the street as part of it’s own streetscape,” he says.
He says the two-storey house was designed so part of it could be sealed off when not in use, and opened up when the clients had guests.
“It’s actually a really neat way of maintaining the house – it can be mothballed,” says Hamilton. He likens the top level of the home to living in a screened porch.
“It’s got that old Queenslander-style, looking directly into the tree canopy and river,” says Hamilton. The finely crafted timber screened veranda also provides ultimate privacy and glare control from the sun.
Space matters
Maximising space was a big requirement of the build. Hamilton says garages underneath the home are completely discreet.
“You wouldn’t know they are there,” he says.
The basement has huge roller doors that conceal 10m of storage, and there’s a mudroom off the garage. There’s also a small jetty where they keep their rowing boats. And they have an extra shower at the base, near the laundry.
No room is overscaled, says Hamilton.
“Because a lot of the walls tend to disappear in terms of edges, it’s a tight footprint,” he says.
“It’s a relatively small house but feels grand as it’s built to engage space.”
Riverbank House was the winner of the Australian Institute of Architects’ Queensland Architecture Awards 2021 (new house), and is now eligible for the Australian Institute of Architects’ National Awards, to be announced later this year.
Breathe new life into your home with elements of timber and concrete
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2 – Looking for something warm and edgy? Crafted from solid composite concrete is this
Abbott Concrete indoor/outdoor dining table, $1,695, cocorepublic.com.au
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4 – Inspired by Australia’s native Willy Wagtails, these stylish bird scupltures have been made by woodcarver and sculptor Gary Fieldduo using a combination of new redgum with ancient redgum.
They’re mounted on bases of Coolibah burl, another iconic Australian timber, $115, australianwoodwork.com.au
Originally published as Home reno ideas 2021: ‘Floating house’ that has changed all the rules
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