The Ridge House designed by Sparks Architects is situated on the western edge of a 25 acre property on the Blackall Range near Montville, QLD. A north / south ridge line with commanding views over the property to the north and east and the Baroon Pocket Dam to the west was selected for siting the building. This acknowledgment of context and topography was ultimately pursued in the planning of the building and the orientation of internal spaces. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones
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Spinnaker is a project designed by Sparks Architects. The site’s topography, orientation, exposure to the elements and neighbours, define the building’s form. The building responds through systems of blocking and filtering: walls of sliding glass, screens, and large scale automated clerestories The resultant form and spatial dynamics are reminiscent of a full sail, a Spinnaker. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.
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Art Box by Sparks Architects. Capitalising on a generous floorplate combined with the soaring ceilings and clerestory lights of a re-purposed industrial building, this inner city apartment is an innovative pied-a-terre that breaks free from typical apartment living. The architectural response is essentially a house, garden, and terrace – all within the original warehouse shell. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.
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Pavilions is a project designed by Sparks Architects. Dividing the plan into two ‘pavilions’ linked by a generous breezeway space enables natural light and ventilation into the south, as well as north, parts of the house. This also provides a simple circulation area between the various rooms, and levels. Living areas are on the upper floor which enjoys views over the dunes to the ocean; the bedrooms and library are located on the more private and protected ground floor which is tucked in behind the dunal vegetation. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.
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Tent House by Sparks Architects. This forest clearing addressing a pocket of rainforest in the Noosa hinterland, is approached through a typical neighbourhood of rural houses and acreage dwellings. The journey to the house continues from the street via a winding bush track through the forest which acts as a threshold between the constructed world and that of the clearing, a place remnant of early settlement in the region; a camp. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.
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Valley House is a project designed by Sparks Architects. The dramatic topography, bush setting of the Obi Obi Valley and Kondalilla Falls; and diverse climatic conditions of the hinterland were the driving forces for this design. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.
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Pandanus is a project designed by Sparks Architects. On an enviable site directly opposite the dunes of Peregian Beach, the challenge for this project was to get high enough to capture the sea views over the dunes without exceeding the statutory height limits or blocking all of the neighbour’s views. In fact, the finished building sits well below the maximum height allowed on the sloping block with the bulk of the building running back along the depth of the site, while the portion of the building across the width of the site sits on a minimum of structure to create an open terrace underneath. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.
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