Location: Brisbane, Australia.

Architect: bureau^proberts.

The Minka Twins are two houses located on an 800m2 hillcrest site in Brisbane’s West. They are designed to challenge traditional infill housing conventions and respond to the subtropical climate. The design is influenced by traditional Japanese farmhouses and modern Queenslander architecture. The houses have simple gable roof forms, batten screened verandahs, and habitable undercroft spaces that provide a considered climatic response. The lower level living spaces are connected to the outdoors through a series of floor to ceiling glass doors that stack away. Internal gardens blur thresholds from interior to exterior, and the raised concrete ground plane becomes a seat to occupy the landscape edge. The planning responds to function and climate, with flexible open living spaces on the lower level and bedrooms elevated on the upper level to maximize access to natural light and breeze.

The houses have been designed at single room widths to encourage passive cooling, and the upper level is screened for privacy and solar protection. Natural materials such as burnished concrete, stained pine timber battens, plywood, and timber-framed glass were chosen for their raw integrity, durability, and prominence of craftsmanship. Cost-effectiveness was achieved through using common building materials and methodologies for the core of the house, while maintaining one continuous form.

Photo credit: Scott Burrows.