In the heart of Perth, Australia, Philip Stejskal Architecture has unveiled the Henville Street House, a family residence that masterfully integrates industrial cues with a desire for verdant living. This unique dwelling, shaped by the practicalities of a constrained urban plot, draws inspiration from the rugged aesthetic of the nearby Fremantle cargo port. Its design emphasizes a harmonious relationship with nature, featuring a central patio and a distinctive steel frame destined to be adorned by climbing flora, creating a dynamic facade that evolves with the seasons.
Architectural Ingenuity and Materiality
Philip Stejskal Architecture\u2019s Henville Street House in Perth, Australia, is a testament to innovative design on a challenging urban site. The residence, a family home, skillfully references the Fremantle cargo port through its use of corrugated metal cladding and steel-framed awnings. The architects conceived a structure that embraces its garden setting while meticulously addressing privacy concerns. A central patio forms the core of the home, around which a skeletal steel frame is strategically positioned to eventually be covered by climbing plants, blurring the lines between built environment and nature. The choice of materials, including corrugated iron, echoes the region's historical worker cottages and provides a cost-effective, low-maintenance solution capable of withstanding the harsh coastal climate.
The architectural approach for Henville Street House was driven by budget constraints and the unique topography of its site, which presented a one-meter level difference from north to south. This challenge was ingeniously overcome by positioning the living, dining, and kitchen areas to be sunken, allowing them to step up directly into the garden. A generous sill serves as both a seating area and a seamless transition point, complemented by large sliding glass doors that open onto an \u201coutdoor room.\u201d This outdoor space, enveloped by a double-height steel frame and metal grilles, is designed to support climbing plants, creating a living green wall. A retractable awning provides flexible shading, allowing the residents to adapt to seasonal changes\u2014welcoming winter sun and offering summer protection. The steel frame extends to form a first-floor terrace for the bedrooms and a subtle awning at the home's entrance, showcasing a cohesive design language.
Harmonious Interiors and Dynamic Exteriors
The interior design of Henville Street House offers a compelling contrast to its industrial exterior, achieving a sophisticated balance. While the outside features robust metalwork, the interior embraces a softer palette with pale curtains and rich, dark Australian hardwoods. These natural timber elements are thoughtfully incorporated into built-in storage solutions and wall linings, adding warmth and texture to the living spaces. The internal facades facing the garden are characterized by narrow, vertical battens, a detail that is subtly echoed at the base of a front window, ensuring design consistency and a sense of visual flow throughout the residence.
The exterior of the Henville Street House is a carefully considered composition that blends industrial robustness with natural integration. Inspired by the Fremantle cargo port, the corrugated metal cladding and steel-framed awnings give the home a distinctive, resilient character. The skeletal steel frame, a prominent feature, is not merely structural but also serves as a canvas for nature; it is intended to be progressively overgrown by climbing plants, transforming the building's facade into a dynamic, living entity. This greening strategy extends to metal grilles that form a low fence and enclose the "outdoor room," a patio sheltered by a double-height steel structure and a retractable awning. This outdoor area acts as an extension of the living space, offering an adaptable environment that changes with the seasons, providing shade in summer and welcoming sunlight in winter. This dual emphasis on durable materials and natural elements creates a home that is both architecturally striking and deeply connected to its environment.