House for Birdwood

House for Birdwood is an urban site that offered a unique opportunity to establish a direct relationship with the surrounding landscape. Having completed several earlier projects with the clients, Marc & Co were trusted to deliver a design that would amplify their experience of the home as a setting for living, growing, being with family, and conducting daily activities.

The clients spent their childhood picnicking across the road, wandering along creek beds. The conceptual framework for the house stems from the idea of a creek bed in a landscape, reflecting the clients’ childhood spent picnicking across the road, wandering along creek beds. The previously barren site has been revegetated, and the house consists of a series of stepped levels that reconcile the steep terrain.

The experiential sequence is varied, much like what we find in nature: a hidden front door, a compressed entry, changes in light levels, light reflecting from water onto a wall, sitting on an edge, being part of a larger landscape, wildlife in the garden, kids playing around a pool, sitting around an outdoor fire, and so on. The rendered walls are curved like boulders, and rocks collected from creeks are cast into the concrete floor.

The linear plan bends around the site, allowing northern sunlight and views of key contextual elements. The design enables the sitting room, kitchen, and deck to visually connect, amplifying activity and layering perspectives. The ground level is envisioned as a contemporary paradise garden—a place of leisure, feasting, lush planting, fragrance, and lounging by the pool in a private setting. 

Architecture tells us who we are and where we come from, especially in the domestic setting. Culturally, we relate easily to honest, relaxed spaces, often outdoors. The house is low in scale from the street, almost hidden by the surrounding landscape.

The brief included the design of a productive garden. Local soils are dry and acidic, so a rooftop garden allows for controlled soil conditions and an irrigation system for planting. Irrigation is supported by significant rainwater storage, and power is supplemented by a solar array. The client has jokingly complained of substantial weight gain since moving in—there are simply too many inviting places to enjoy a beer throughout the house and garden!

Tours of House for Birdwood will be available to book soon.