JOSH: Infill housing within inner suburbs
is a way of using land more efficiently,
and smaller parcels of premium real estate
become more accessible for those who want to live near the city.
At ground level,
infill development isn't an easy thing to get right.
For example, loss of garden space and tree canopy
is a very contentious issue.
New buildings should respond to the surrounding suburban character.
And, of course, new homes should be climate responsive
and nice to live in.
And this is where good design of both house and garden
becomes absolutely critical.
Hey, Jimmy. Hello. How you going?
Good.
For architect Jimmy Thompson,
these considerations were front of mind
when designing his own home
at the rear of a subdivided block
in the inner-city suburb of North Perth.
You've created an incredible home, Jimmy.
The first thing that strikes me is the blurring of the lines
between the landscape and the building.
I guess from a philosophical point of view,
in terms of design and living in Australia,
I think it's just so important
that we don't distinguish between architecture and then landscape.
Really, they need to be enmeshed,
and I guess that's what attracted me about this site so much
was that I could borrow the adjacent landscape
and spill out, you know?
And that's the nice thing about having a courtyard house in a way,
is the walls provide the security, so you don't need boundary fencing.
So your gardens can just continue on
and that boundary then really starts to blur.
So within the house, there are three different types of gardens.
Around the perimeter are all of the edible plants.
So you have a whole series of fruit trees,
but then you also have
this beautiful Mediterranean kitchen meadow
that just wraps around and spills out into the park.
Within the centre of the courtyard,
that's a medicinal garden is what we'd call it.
So there's a whole range of plants here
which we use to make teas and tinctures
which can treat a wide range of ailments.
And on the rooftop are a series of West Australian endemic plants.
Wildflowers, grasses,
a whole range that can really support urban habitat.
What size is the property,
and what's the ratio between the garden area
and the built area?
The lot size is 256 square metres, so 15 metres by 17 metres.
So, essentially, it was an ex-backyard,
and for us, you know, as designers and architects,
it's important that when you are doing infill
that we do it responsibly, and for me,
that means replacing what was formerly a backyard
with the equivalent area in gardens and courtyards.
For us to do that here, we had to do that on multiple levels,
including the roof gardens.
How long have you been living here? So, we've been here two years now.
So, that's me, Angie, and our two cats.
So upstairs here on the first floor are all our living areas.
The great thing about it here is that it's a single-depth space.
We've got a whole lot of exposure to north,
so we can get beautiful winter sun in,
but we've got those screens which can cut out the summer sun.
So the idea about the house is it's really operable,
almost like a yacht.
Different times of the year, different times of the day,
you're always pulling, opening,
making the most of getting south-westerly winds
coming through this aperture,
blowing straight through, opening up, flushing out hot air
when you need to.
For comfort around climate, you need to have choice.
So this really feels like a climate-responsive design
that's more akin to, like, a Mediterranean
or a North African building type
more than you normally see for a Perth home.
What's the sort of... the...the inspiration there?
Yeah, well, you're spot-on, because one of the first things
that I thought about designing this house
was the work of Marshall Clifton and Julius Elischer,
who worked early and mid 20th century in WA,
and they were looking at different vernacular architectures
for Perth, ones which could be climate responsive.
And so they went straight to the Mediterranean,
North African courtyard houses, whitewashed walls,
and that's where we kind of bring in some of the exoticism
of the glazed blue bricks as well.
So these things have a cultural reference
but also a climate reference as well.
Roof gardens on residential buildings
is not something we see a great deal of in Perth.
What made you do it here?
You're absolutely right, Josh, and it's a real shame,
because they provide so many benefits, you know?
Not only is it great insulation
to help keep your house cool in summer and warm in winter,
but it's also what you view over.
You imagine if I had Colorbond roof here
and we were sitting on the terrace.
It would be providing glare, you know,
it's just an unsightly thing.
So instead you can have beautiful native plants.
These plants can attract birds. They can look after insects as well.
It's just a much better outcome.
How deep's the soil and how often do you water?
So, the soil depth ranges from about 150 mils down to about 350 mils.
For 9-10 months of the year, we don't water at all now.
So, from a bird's-eye view, your whole property, really,
is like a sponge, isn't it?
So, the roofs have gardens and the courtyards are all permeable,
so it must manage stormwater, even those peak rainfall events,
very well.
That's exactly right.
So, all that water
is feeding the green roofs, then draining into downpipes,
which are embedded in...in the brick walls,
and then that's going down into the courtyard,
into a bigger drainage cell,
which then essentially penetrates groundwater.
So building small but building smart is good for the environment.
It's good for you hip pocket, but it also just makes sense.
I love what's been achieved here.
Not only is it a beautiful home,
but it connects so well with its surrounding area,
and the building and the landscape actually give back to the street.
A common criticism of infill housing is that the household
can become disconnected from the neighbourhood.
With this house it's exactly the opposite.
When you have a bespoke tailored design that fits your lifestyle,
it really makes me want to spend more time at home to work less,
to hang out with Angie and the cats.
It's really changed my perspective on life.