Raven House

Raven House is a renovation of an existing Queenslander-style home in Brisbane’s inner city suburb of West End.

Tim Stewart Architects were engaged to create a modern family home.

Located on a 450m² lot, the site is shaded by larger buildings on each side.

The block falls away from the road with the rear part of the site covered by an overland flow path.

By creating a two story void through the centre of the home, Tim Stewart Architects created a light-filled open space which became the pivotal space of the home.

All other spaces fed off this, including the sunken lounge and fire place, the outdoor room pool, along with the utility spaces.

Spaces vary between prospect and refuge, the double height spaces being juxtaposed by the refuge of the living areas whist remaining engaged with the open space through half walls and solid casements.

The outdoor room opens to the yard, with a full width stair to the rear, allowing for casual seating and observation of the leafy back yard.

Above the outdoor room sits the master bedroom, with a bridge access running through the void space and views to the back yard.

Tim Stewart Architects faced few challenges with this project – restrictive planning, small lot, and a tight budget.

But the main one was creating a modern home whilst working within the design constraints set out in Brisbane’s Character Housing Code.

The design team minimised the footprint of the home through the use of built-in furniture and efficient planning.

They created a two-storey void through the centre of the home and added high level windows which brought light down through the lower level of the home.

This also created an opportunity to convection air movement up and out of the high level windows, delivering better ventilation to cope with the sweltering Queensland summer months.