Leederville Residence

Leederville Residence

Leederville, Perth, Western Australia

TL;DR

Although ultimately unbuilt, the Leederville Residence remains a strong example of how thoughtful planning establishes the foundation for great architecture. Developed for an R30-zoned site, the design maximised the opportunities afforded by boundary-to-boundary construction while prioritising natural light, landscape connection and long-term liveability before questions of materiality or architectural style were considered.

The two-storey residence wrapped around a central courtyard, creating a highly efficient family home where virtually every habitable room enjoyed north or south light and outlooks to landscaped spaces rather than boundary fencing. A thinner upper floor allowed sunlight to reach the northern-facing ground-floor living areas, while a dedicated maker room reimagined the traditional laundry as a light-filled and flexible creative workspace. Throughout the design process, multiple architectural expressions were explored and presented to the client, demonstrating how a strong architectural idea can support a variety of aesthetic outcomes while retaining its fundamental qualities.

The Power of a Plan

The project was organised around a two-storey C-shaped layout that used form to improve light, outlook and environmental performance.

Taking advantage of the site’s R30 zoning, the ground floor stretches close to the site boundaries, creating a strong horizontal plinth for the lighter upper level above. This arrangement establishes a central courtyard at the heart of the home, directly connecting the kitchen, dining, living and alfresco spaces.

Importantly, no habitable room looks directly onto a boundary fence. Every significant space instead enjoys views to gardens, courtyards or the broader landscape beyond.

Building with Light

Environmental performance was embedded within the geometry of the house.

The upper level adopts a longer and thinner form than the floor below, allowing northern sunlight to pass beyond the upper structure and illuminate the ground-floor living spaces. Combined with the courtyard arrangement, this provides excellent access to natural light, cross ventilation and passive solar performance throughout the home.

The living room itself is surrounded by landscape on three sides, creating a strong sense of immersion in the garden while maintaining natural light and views from almost every position within the space.

A Home Designed Around Living

Beyond the primary living spaces, the design included a dedicated maker room, an expanded interpretation of the traditional laundry. Generous natural light, larger openings and increased floor area transformed a typically utilitarian space into a flexible room capable of supporting hobbies, creative work and everyday family activities.

Like the courtyard itself, the room demonstrates how architectural planning can elevate everyday functions into meaningful parts of daily life.

Architecture Before Aesthetics

One of the most valuable outcomes of the project was the exploration of numerous architectural expressions built upon the same underlying plan.

Over a dozen fully developed, modelled and rendered design iterations were investigated throughout the design process. While each proposed a different material palette and architectural character, the quality of the project remained consistent because the strength of the design originated in the planning itself.