Houses 157 preview

One of the joys of working in media is the task of teasing out the threads of ideas that connect people or projects. Whether we are putting together events for Our Houses or the Design Speaks program, or compiling stories for a print issue of Houses, the editorial team invests great care in identifying ideas that will resonate with our audience.

Houses has always advocated for the ways that good design can shape the way we live. This issue is no exception, and it has been a pleasure to talk with architects and homeowners who share ideas about resisting excess, finding beauty in economy, and the benefits of environmentally responsive and responsible design.

Draped House by Trias (cover) embodies this approach. Small, site-responsive and efficiently planned to minimize its carbon footprint, it is a welcome antidote to many of the new homes that proliferate in our suburbs. Other projects in this issue likewise pursue a
less conventional path. Aru House by Curious Practice resists the temptation of a large addition and instead augments an old cottage with a series of “plug-ins” at the edges, while A Renovation for Three by Office Mi–Ji – an addition to an earlier home by the same practice – explores the building process as a cumulative rather than a speculative one.

May these quietly radical ideas continue to inspire broader change in the ways we think about and design Australian homes.

Alexa Kempton, editor

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