Diffused Threshold – Filter House by Andrew Hagemann Architecture
Uniquely conceived with its own internal street, Filter House is designed to allow a diffused boundary edge between inside and out. Andrew Hagemann Architecture combines both heavy weighted masonry elements with lighter counterparts to create a sense of balance and comfort throughout the home.
Presenting to the street as a series of stacked volumes, Filter House balances the open and the closed in creating privacy internally and an outward embrace of the natural elements. Located in Mount Lawley, the family home needed to fit comfortably amongst its post-war and Mediterranean-inspired enclave, as well as feel open and contemporary for its own needs. Instead of relying solely on the exterior edges to bring in light, the home opens at the centre, acting as an exposed and ventilated internal street structure and becoming the spine of the home. Open to the elements and inviting from the street, the gesture also provided a sculptural opportunity to add a playful preview for the home.
In order to accommodate its growing young family, a careful weaving of the built and the natural was key to ensuring a sense of endurance and relevance. Inspired by flexibility, the resulting home is both warm and resilient in its materiality and palette selections, with an emphasis on opening and connecting the internal spaces. Built by Hugo Homes, together with landscapes by Alexandra Farrington, Filter House is founded on both an environmental and a social responsiveness. There is a communal element to living both privately but connected; from how the home respectfully engages with the streetscape to how the internal spaces all visually connect.
Divided into wings by its central spine, the home is able to be naturally ventilated and naturally lit throughout. A focus on sustainability extends throughout; from the use of recycled materials to the absence of exterior painting and, most importantly, the ability for the home to breathe. Although not idyllically oriented, the opening at the centre allows an abatement of unwanted solar gains and instead uses openings to increase the internal comfort throughout the year. A mostly neutral base ensures the home should remain relevant well into its future, whilst the warming timber elements soften the harder surfaces and add a natural texture in the process.
