Considered Contemporary Living – Casa Mia by Caroline Di Costa Architect and Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects

Offering a playful rendition of the sustainable narrative, Casa Mia enables residents to explore new and exciting ways of living. Crafted by Iredale Pederson Hook Architects in collaboration with Caroline Di Costa Architect, the residence uses brickwork to convey a liberating message.

Located on the Ocean Mia Estate in City Beach, Casa Mia represents an architectural alternative to the surrounding built context. Constructed from carefully positioned brickwork, the façade of the home contrasts the rectilinear forms of the surrounding buildings – presenting a dynamic profile of surprising lightness. Juxtaposing the perceived sterility of modernist architecture, Casa Mia engages onlookers through a lively exteriority, inviting them to ponder the nature of its interior. The home functions as the personal residence of both an architect and the co-founder of an architectural practice: achieving ventilation, maximal access to natural light and privacy despite being situated in a densely populated suburban area.

Constructed from carefully positioned brickwork, the façade of the home contrasts the rectilinear forms of the surrounding buildings – presenting a dynamic profile of surprising lightness.

Iredale Pederson Hook Architects keenly considers sustainability in its design of Casa Mia, articulating the concept most thoroughly through the brickwork of the home. Liaising with industry-leading supplier Brickworks, the design studio both inheres the project with a sense of sustainability and ensures the concept is a prominent feature of the architecture and interior design. Brickworks enables its products to be applied in their uncut state – an atypical usage – in order to minimise waste. The result forms a distinctive exterior, stitching together the spatial composition of the house so that every room is depicted as an individual aspect of the whole.

Recycled jarrah wood lines the kitchen in a manner that is traditional for Western Australia, highlighted by curated lighting. Elsewhere, the other timber elements of the dwelling are either recycled works or completely certified and used in their standard-issue size to minimise waste. Following a similar logic, several doors have been joined together to form a door of bespoke proportion. Furthermore, every brick chosen for the project is locally sourced and exhibits colours reminiscent of the earthy natural landscape. Mirroring a feature of ancient Japanese design, fully-glazed bricks are employed around particular openings to bounce sunlight into the depths of the home – allowing the residents to save energy where possible.

Offering a playful rendition of the sustainable narrative, Casa Mia enables residents to explore new and exciting ways of living.

Although Casa Mia represents the weight of responsibility architects have towards the environment, it also presents this responsibility as a beneficial aspect. Iredale Pederson Hook Architects and Caroline Di Costa Architect craft a residence that rejoices in its sustainability whilst utilising the colour and texture of brick to suggest a playful variation of considered contemporary living.