(The Brickhouse)

The Brickhouse is an exercise in spatial compression and atmospheric expansion. Developed by Artifact with interiors by Sophie Wylie, it occupies a constrained urban site defined by zoning and heritage adjacency.

Straddling commercial and residential zoning, with a heritage overlay, the design balances privacy from neighbouring buildings and maximises sun via a northerly courtyard.

Two gabled brick forms enclose a north-facing courtyard, establishing a calibrated relationship between solidity and interior release. The exterior is reduced, almost monolithic; the interior unfolds through controlled apertures and layered spatial moments.

Built form and furniture operating as one system. A sunken lounge, integrated storage and carved thresholds organise daily life within a tightly resolved footprint.

Programmatic elements are absorbed into the architecture. The 260sqm footprint on a 398sqm site is efficiently designed to accommodate a young family of five on a modest site.

A domestic structure reduced to its essentials.