Winner: Lagoon House

Architect: Taylor and Hinds Architects

Location: TAS

The hotly contested Residential Interior Award was awarded to Lagoon House, situated on the edge of Pipeclay Lagoon south of Hobart. The judges commented on “ability of the design to gently bring the inside out” and were impressed by a use of timber that is “so solid and delicate, simple and beautiful.”  Using the trees as ‘anchors’ for the plan, this new house was sited across a central zone of the site.  The materiality of the house is informed by the ‘gradation’ in the bark of the nearby gums but also references the dark openings of the local rural timber vernacular.  The progressive darkening of the treatment to the timber also intensifies the sense of mystery about the house, which is finished internally with richly stained Tasmanian hardwood linings, exposed grey blockwork and neutral whites.  The roofline lifts to bring additional daylight into the plan. This results in an undulating profile that poetically references the lagoon and rolling landscape beyond.  The use of timber internally and externally is intrinsic to the design.