Salter Point Residence

Salter Point Residence

Salter Point, Perth, Western Australia

TL;DR

The Salter Point Residence replaces a long-standing family home with a contemporary residence carefully designed around memory, landscape and climate. Having lived on the site for decades, the owners sought a new home that retained the qualities they valued most, including established gardens, a mature Jacaranda tree and the site’s strong connection to the surrounding neighbourhood.

Organised as a long, low-slung pavilion, the residence maximises natural light, cross ventilation and environmental performance through a disciplined north-south orientation and carefully proportioned form. A restrained palette of bagged brick, timber and light-toned finishes draws inspiration from the suburb’s modernist heritage, while a series of integrated architectural details create a home that feels warm, highly functional and deeply connected to its site.

Building on What Already Matters

Although the original residence was demolished, the project sought to retain the qualities that gave the site its character.

A mature Jacaranda tree, established verge landscaping and the existing swimming pool were carefully retained and integrated into the new design. This approach preserved the site’s sense of maturity and ensured the new home felt connected to its history from the day it was occupied.

A House Shaped by Climate

The residence is organised as a long and relatively narrow building, maximising access to northern light and natural ventilation.

Generous northern eaves were carefully calculated to admit winter sunlight while limiting summer heat gain, while the simple skillion roof provides ideal orientation for solar panels. A custom integrated gutter system informs the roof geometry, demonstrating how environmental performance and architectural expression can be resolved together.

The result is a highly efficient home that performs exceptionally well throughout the year.

Modernism Reinterpreted

Located on a prominent corner site, the residence treats both street elevations with equal importance.

A sculptural timber-clad wall forms the primary architectural gesture, with chamfered surfaces creating layers of depth and shadow across the façade. This timber plane peels back to reveal sections of bagged brickwork, softening the composition and creating a rich interplay between materials.

The palette draws inspiration from the suburb’s mid-century modernist heritage, combining light-toned surfaces with tactile natural materials to create a timeless architectural character.

Planning for Family Life

The home is organised around a generous central living space flanked by dedicated children’s and parents’ wings.

These zones are further distinguished through materiality, with bagged brick walls wrapping both internally and externally to create identity and warmth. Over the living areas, carefully proportioned coffered ceilings define the various functions of the space while establishing a strong relationship between plan, elevation and structure.

A continuous integrated shelf and bench element extends along much of the main circulation spine, combining seating, storage, display shelving, window seats and joinery into a single architectural gesture. These elements help embed daily life directly within the architecture itself.

Landscape and Longevity

Environmental performance extends beyond the building envelope.

Large areas of permeable paving, gravel and landscaped surfaces were incorporated throughout the site, exceeding local stormwater retention requirements while strengthening the connection between architecture and landscape.

Combined with retained vegetation and the carefully integrated pool, these strategies create a home that feels established, sustainable and deeply connected to its surroundings.

A New Chapter

The Salter Point Residence demonstrates that replacing a home does not require abandoning the qualities that made a place meaningful.

Through careful consideration of climate, landscape and family life, the project creates a contemporary residence that feels both new and familiar. The result is a calm and enduring home that builds upon decades of connection to site while preparing for the next chapter of its history.