On a site so small there is little opportunity for large canopy trees, the Grass House by David Luck Architecture becomes the tree itself.

Visually un-tethering from the base the wafting grasses of the upper level make the building shift and sway like a tree canopy.

Rusting 'Corten' has a patina of convincing authentic belonging in this ramshackle, rear laneway setting. Inviting folds in the rusty planter plates create an intense, industrial aesthetic, that is full of intrigue. A house that supports life.

The garden has minimal maintenance so insects and small plants can establish themselves over time.

Water is retained and recycled into the façade planter box system.

Programmatically simple, the house has two bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs, and an open plan living room and tiny deck with attached laundry facilities upstairs. The living areas upstairs has distanced them from people on the footpath and allowed long views along the street below.

KEY INITIATIVES

  • A built form that expresses sustainability
  • Architecture using shape and materials to give form to sustainable values
  • No landscape on the ground but up the building
  • Grasses over the building look like a tree canopy
  • On-site water retention used to water planting
  • Small but effective house utilising space to the maximum