A Balancing Act – North Perth House by Nic Brunsdon
Concealing the complexities comprised within its structure, North Perth House expresses movement and thresholds through curved geometries throughout. Nic Brunsdon combines an understated simplicity with a refined and restrained palette to create a calm and reclusive home.
Located to the north of the city, North Perth House takes the simple curve as its core reference, at times interpreted in subtle ways and in others expressed overtly. As a nod to the flow of movement throughout and the experience of the threshold itself, the curve is used to mirror and articulate these gestures. Although seemingly simplified, the concealed workings behind the resulting forms and finishes is the detailed design of Nic Brunsdon. The result is a home of warmth and calm that embodies a true sense of reclusiveness and escape.
Built by Collier Homes, the material inspiration came from a place of restraint, combined with a challenging budget. The choice to utilise pre-cast concrete then both dictated the finish and its range of use. Doubling as the core building structural element and the finish face, the concrete panels are the foundations of the home. The added advantage of minimising materiality and combining structure with surface also reduced the time and trades required, which also beneficially impacts budget. Across the project, as well as ensuring a consistent aesthetic and tonality, the implementation of efficiencies was clearly imperative in order to mitigate these constraints.
Nic Brunsdon combines an understated simplicity with a refined and restrained palette to create a calm and reclusive home.
Located on a small inner-urban site of Perth, North Perth House employs a warm timber palette of custom joinery and feature elements to offer a sense of relief from the exposed concrete textured finish. Artwork and furniture are then used to express the owners and their personality, adding colour through abstract forms on canvas and more classic and familiar utilitarian references. Each concrete panel is carved into, and the resulting arches both add to the boldness of the space and offer another layer of softening to the otherwise hardness of the concrete. The use of opaque panels offers a diffused light within the internal spaces and an offering of privacy at the same time.
Shortlisted for one of the West Australian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects’ awards, North Perth House is a home of contrasts, all brought together through its own balancing act. The rough and textured is brought together with the polished and refined, and the public and private areas sit comfortably next to one another. Nic Brunsdon has beautifully combined an efficient building method with a bold and expressive formality to propose an inviting and enriching residential experience.
