Open to Change – Bulimba Residence by DAH Architecture, Pilot Projects and Clo Studio

Openly connected to its surrounding natural setting, Bulimba Residence is proposed as a family home of openness and connection. DAH Architecture, Pilot Projects and Clo Studios combine to add layered functionality and flexibility to the planning, allowing the home to grow and evolve with its family over time.

There is a distinct style and palette that very often exemplifies a place, making architecture from a region recognisable knowing little beyond an image. Much can be said for the collective design language of Queensland, with each home and iteration having their own distinct nuances yet seeming to feel part of a series that responds to both region and climate. Bulimba Residence is a similar story, where the newly conceived home draws from its neighbours and a shared understanding of living open and connected to the landscape and proposes a series of spaces that generously invite the outside in. With architecture by DAH Architecture and Pilot Projects and styling by Clo Studios, each layer of this home has been considered to be a reflection of its custodians, thoughtfully curated.

With architecture by DAH Architecture and Pilot Projects, and styling by Clo Studios, each layer of the home has been considered to be a reflection of its custodians, thoughtfully curated.

Located in the same-named Bulimba, the family home was built by Mylne Construction. At its heart, the house was designed to be adaptable. As the needs of a family inevitably change over time, incorporating a level of flexibility into the planning and how areas connect was key to ensuring the home could evolve alongside its occupants. With its own central courtyard, the heart of the home becomes an open void that ensures the free flowing of air and movement throughout the year while bringing in additional natural light. As a nod to the traditional Queenslander style, the double-story home encases the upper level with a screening element that provides additional privacy, while the open glazing underneath reinforces the idea of a floating mass atop.

A light palette of timber, white paint and lightly toned timber encases the interior spaces, acting as a calming balance to the abundance of lush green planting it sits immersed within. Natural light floods the home from various angles and can be controlled through screening devices on various facades. Key to how the home functions is the flow between inside of out, both allowing natural elements to come in but also in allowing movement over traditional encasing thresholds, out into the garden spaces. The careful layering of landscape and screening also ensure the home feels privately secluded, becoming its own retreat.

As a nod to the traditional Queenslander style, the double-story home encases the upper level with a screening element that provides additional privacy, while the open glazing underneath reinforces the idea of a floating mass atop.

Through its careful composition of elements, Bulimba Residence is a calming repose for its inhabitants. Together, DAH Architecture, Pilot Projects and Clo Studios have created an idyllic escape.