1+2 Architecture acknowledges the Palawa people as the traditional custodians of lutruwita, the lands on which our company is located and where we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present. We are committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society.
Nichols House I
LOCATION + TRADITIONAL COUNTRY
The Palawa, Sandy Bay, Tasmania
CLIENT
Private
STATUS
Built (2012)
AWARDS
Not applicable
media
Sunday Home, Hobart Mercury (May 2013)
PHOTOGRAPHY
Nichols House I is a quiet, private oasis set within a suburban neighbourhood. Positioned on a steep, narrow site within Hobart's former Boot Forest, it offers a sense of retreat while remaining connected to its natural surroundings.
The home has been carefully arranged to welcome sunlight and frame views, while maintaining privacy from neighbouring properties.
KEY COLLABORATORS
+ Builder:
Peter Nichols Structural Engineering:
Aldanmark Consulting Engineers
+ Building Surveyor:
+ Land Surveyor:
Place
The site forms part of a former wooded reserve planted by Dr John Boot in the early 1980s with European elm, oak and silver birch trees. Its subdivision was contentious within the local community, making the retention of existing trees an important consideration in the design.
The house steps down the natural contours, negotiating the remaining trees and creating a sequence of private, sunny courtyards and sheltered roof decks. A landscaped entry area containing original deciduous trees provides a buffer from Churchill Avenue, while the arrangement of built forms offers protection from overviewing by neighbouring properties.
Process
The design evolved as a series of solid enclosures arranged around a top-lit, stepping circulation spine. This configuration maximises natural light and cross ventilation, establishes connections between indoor and outdoor living spaces, and creates opportunities for expressive building geometry, including double-height volumes.
A restrained material palette reinforces the home's sense of permanence and quietness. Etched masonry was chosen for its solidity, thermal performance and textural qualities, allowing a continuity of material between inside and out. Refined soldier coursing and jointing details bring precision to its substantial form.
Lightweight timber cladding provides a counterpoint to the masonry, with finely milled slender boards emphasising verticality and designed to age gracefully over time.
The owner-builder approach also influenced the architectural detailing, with construction solutions developed to protect the integrity of the design throughout the building process.
Impact
The result is a home that offers privacy and shelter within an increasingly developed suburban setting, while maintaining a strong connection to its landscape.
Inside, the dramatic, naturally lit staircase brings a sense of openness to the experience of moving between levels. Living spaces extend into protected courtyards, allowing the home to embrace sunlight and outdoor living without sacrificing its sense of retreat.
The project was recognised with a Residential Architecture Commendation at the 2013 RAIA Awards.
Awards + Jury Citation
RAIA – Residential Architecture Commendation 2013
“Annie & Peter’s House was the first of several houses that now occupy the former ‘Boot Forest’, a contentious subdivision on Churchill Avenue. The original land was owned and planted out in the early 1980s by Dr John Boot, with European elm, oak and silver birch and the reserve was of some significance to the local community. The remaining trees are now semi-mature.
The architects, mindful of the proximity of future neighbours and faced with a steep, narrow site conceived a strategy of solid, private volumes stepping down the contour, coupled with a singular circulation spine. This approach provided for protected, sun-filled courtyard spaces to extend the living spaces and connect to the landscaped periphery. The resulting geometry is an elegant progression of forms, buffered from Churchill Avenue by a landscaped entry zone containing some of the original deciduous trees.
Attention to masonry detail and contrasting exterior celery cladding articulate the building’s mass. Interiors are simple and comfortable, with the circulation zone and staircase given drama via a top-lit opening, uplifting the experience of moving through the home’s various levels. The owner-builder requirement in the brief demanded that the architects protect the design through largely ‘irreducible’ construction detailing and this projective method, combined with a faithful approach by the client, has contributed significantly to the project’s success.”
