An Introspective Inner-City Home – Paddington House 05 by Nobbs Radford Architects

Nestled into its sanctuary surrounds, Paddington House 05 sits embracing its own inner light-filled courtyard. Nobbs Radford Architects optimises the home’s unique and compact site to create an introspective recluse from the dense urban environment it is immersed within.

Flanked by four terrace houses, Paddington House 05 is a study in the efficient and effective use of the inner urban residential allotment. Its compact site called for a uniquely curated approach. Set within an existing built-up urban area, the home borrows greenery from the canopies of mature trees on neighbouring properties to create a sense of immersion within its context. Though the design takes an insular approach, it also addresses its laneway entry, which opens into the home’s light-filled centre – its courtyard. Carving out its own secluded sanctuary, the home wraps around this central living core, effortlessly creating a sense of privacy while also bringing natural light into the interior. Nobbs Radford Architects combines a refined approach with an acute understanding of the urban site condition.

Built by Ballast Point, Paddington House 05 sees architecture, interiors and landscape design all conceived as one. Through a considered balance and sense of restraint, formal elements connect and blur the transitionary boundary between the built environment and the natural, creating reflective moments throughout the architecture. The focus of the home is on generating a sense of calm, and the connection to nature is key.

Home to a family of five, the small site was a challenge, yet through strategic planning the design overcomes the difficulty of the restricted site to create a home that reflects its occupants. Through a connected approach, each of the active and passive zones come together and support one another. Instead of opting for an open floorplan, the planning focuses on moments of openness and enclosure that indicate functionality. Through the use of open light wells and the internal courtyard, natural light spills into each of the internal zones. A restrained materials palette reflects an almost Japanese approach that fosters a sense of calm. Bringing together concrete, galvanised metal details, monochromatic paint and warmth through timber, the emphasis is on pared-back, low-maintenance materials.

As its own unassuming addition to its densely populated locale, Paddington House 05 offers a moment of reprieve and composure for its occupants. Nobbs Radford Architects have carefully concealed the site’s complexities to offer an effective and well-resolved proposal for the inner-city residential vernacular.

Home to a family of five, the small site was a challenge, yet through strategic planning the design overcomes the difficulty of the restricted site to create a home that reflects its occupants.

Through the use of open light wells and the internal courtyard, natural light spills into each of the internal zones. A restrained materials palette reflects an almost Japanese approach that fosters a sense of calm.