Principles of Subtropical Design for Detached Houses

In nature we encounter experiences that stretch across generations, and such experience is shaped by its historical, environmental and cultural fabric. This project is about the identification of our unique subtropical character and the values inherent in the sitting, experiences, memory, structure and materials that make up the architecture of the detached dwellings many of us live in. It is about incorporating this character and these values that not only define a place, but also provide experiences that have united generations into the fabric of our South East Queensland homes. More fundamentally, when entering SEQ, the merging of architecture and landscape announces an encounter with a special, unique place. We need to balance the suburban sameness by and large produced by the project home market with a human-scale, sustainable architecture that will fold into it subtropical surrounds. In seeking to identify key elements for a subtropical home it is important to realise that communities are supported by places and recurrent landscape elements that clearly speak their indenty. These may be derived from the historic responses to the natural setting, patterns of land use and social activity that over time have shaped the area's lifestyle and form. The character of a subtropical home is distinct and sometimes subtle, yet immediately recognisable as a special place by residents and visitors alike.