A relatively flat platform to the streets edge then falls a dramatic 19m down to the Brisbane River beyond. This platform became the starting point for the design, requiring a compact plan type to not only avoid unnecessary costs in managing a steep site but to preserve the integrity of the natural terrain surrounding the river’s edge.

This early constraint meant adopting a plan type where no space is idle, to minimise potentially ‘dead’ space by giving function to circulation space. Oversized landings become ‘rooms’ – whether they perform as entry foyer or informal study.

What is classified as a two storey home might also be construed as five split levels; a utility level, a level for entertaining, a level for quiet, a level for the master suite, a level for sleeping.