Open Transitions – Boomerang House by Joe Adsett Architects

A gentle composition of curved and linear elements, Boomerang House softly engages with its site, cocooning the outdoor living space as an extension of the house proper. Joe Adsett Architects celebrates an outdoor lifestyle, with a layering of natural and textured materials drawn together through a shared openness and sense of connection throughout and across the site.

Navigating its sloping site in Ascot, Brisbane, Boomerang House uses a combination of light openness together with weighted masonry elements across the site to anchor the home in place. By balancing the formal response, together with clear connections between inside and outside, the resulting home feels proportionate. Though the streetscape itself is relatively private, the focus remains on the private open retreat that awaits to the rear. Allowing for both places of gathering and for more recessive moments of recharge, the family home is embedded with an element of flexibility to suit the anticipated changing of needs over time.

By having such large openings and softening of the outer edge of the home through curved gestures, the transition between inside and out is eased.

In an alignment with the climatic and tropical conditions, Joe Adsett Architects has ensured the home is able to breathe, with opportunities for both natural light and ventilation carefully directed and aligned with the appropriate orientation on site. By having such large openings and softening of the outer edge of the home through curved gestures, the transition between inside and out is eased. Internally, a similar curved approach is used to sculpt areas that hint at movement. Most prominently sits the helical stair, wrapped in a ribbon of white plaster, bringing light down into the lower level while adding a central point of interest within a connecting area of the home. Leading up to the library space on the level above, the insertion is a moment of pause amongst the home.

On the upper level, three bedrooms, a family bathroom and a lounge all come together, while the western wing acts as a retreat for the parents, with associated amenity for self-sufficiency. A mostly cool palette is used throughout, which is made interesting using textural natural stone, subtleties in raw finishes and the insertion of timber to bring warmth. The composition matches the hard and soft elements, as well as the linear and curved, as a considered composition. Spread over three levels, with the upper-level housing the sleeping areas and the middle as the main living space, the lower most level carves its own place on site. As a dedicated four-car garage and wine storage and sampling space, the tone changes once descending, yet a shared materiality connects across the floors.

A mostly cool palette is used throughout, which is made interesting using textural natural stone, subtleties in raw finishes and the insertion of timber to bring warmth.

Open and light at its core, Boomerang House cradles areas of togetherness amongst opportunities to be more recessive. Underpinned by a restrained approach, Joe Adsett Architects ensures a contextual response will maintain a lasting relevance over time, as a private and reclusive retreat for the owners.