Arbour House

The large setback creates a platform for a private garden under the shade of the canopy of the Poinciana tree. The level of the platform and the height of the Poinciana tree and the Arbour established the two datums for the setout of public and private spaces of the dwelling. The public riverfront living levels are adjacent to this space whilst the rear living spaces are elevated above the garage to look into the canopy of the Arbour. The private bedroom spaces of the upper level are raised to a height to afford views of the tree canopy and river yet privacy from the public river boardwalk.

The northern face of the building form is articulated by rotating the external walls 15 degrees. The walls peel away from each other resulting in thin vertical fissures which allow northern light and breezes to filter through. The vertical fissures afford the significant rooms of the house a private visual connection to views down the longest reach of the Brisbane River.