Mariginiup House

The Ecotect team was commissioned to design a home with a Queenslander aesthetic for a rural block in Mariginiup. The style of a Queenslander is elegant with large verandahs, high ceilings, steeply pitched roofs and lightweight construction clad with weatherboards. The Ecotect architectural team adapted this style of house to suit Perth’s Mediterranean-type climate.

For the house to function better in Perth’s climate, thermal mass was created using reverse brick veneer walls and concrete substrate floors. To regulate temperature, solar inserts were used in the verandahs on the north side of the house and the indoor/outdoor room on the north-east.

The final result is a double-storey mansion located on the crest of a hill. The team followed through the heritage aspects of a Queenslander through the entire house to the smallest detail to achieve the aesthetic desired by our client. The house also features solar pergola blades over the indoor outdoor room, solar inserts to the north of the living areas and master bedroom, an Apricus evacuated tube solar hot water system and 200,000-litre water tanks.

The Sandcastle

This residence was designed to express the character of its owners,who have a passion for “crafted” eclectic design. The house is a passive solar design with its habitable rooms facing north, north/west while the back of the home faces the location’s strong south-westerly breezes. The living spaces capture the north-westerly sea views from a large “indoor/outdoor” upper floor terrace that is roofed with segmented solar pergolas. The master bedroom suite on the third floor is aesthetically part of the roof space and assists in reducing the scale of the building. Points of interest in the rugged stonework, such as pointed arches, the sweeping entrance stairs, corbels and gargoyles are softened by delicate wrought ironwork, timber fenestration, turrets, friezes, waterspouts, outdoor sculptures and water features.

In the design of this project, Ecotect Architects have shown that any house design can be energy efficient house while simultaneously meeting the aesthetic requirements of our clients.