smallprojects

ventblock house

two storey bungalow.

The ventblock house was sited
in a gated development where
the profits from high density
found obvious favour over the
deeper grace of living. As such,
an early decision was made to
conceptually enclose a garden
room at the heart of the house,
with the adjacent properties as
tightly packed as they were.

The side-facing walls of the
house were constructed of clay
brick, impermeable and warm
bulwarks for privacy from the
adjacent neighbours, with large
glazed openings only on the
inside faces of the protected
garden. For street-facing walls,
square modules of cement vent
block provided screened views,
given the transient nature of
access roads. The elevations of
vent block that resulted
became that which the house
would be identified by.