Hover house is a re-imagined single dwelling courtyard on a rear battle-axe block designed by Bower Architecture, located in beachside Mt. Martha, Victoria, Australia. The project brief was for a tranquil, sustainable and private home filled with natural light, warmth and texture. As privacy and outlook were limited the concept sought to create a captivating internal focus in the form of a central courtyard.

Description from the architects:

In order to maximize natural light, budget and privacy a simple sectional gable shape was extruded through the east-west axis of the 2,798 square foot (260 square meters) house. This resulted in a form that efficiently collects rainwater, incorporates sustainable passive systems and emphasises views to distant gum tree canopies.

 

Adaptability varying weather and external circumstances was critical to provide the clients, friends and family with a functional home all year round. Sliding doors and timber screens allow for the flexibility of each bedroom wing to be open or closed independently from the main living space also aiding energy efficiency and privacy.

 

Hover House is a “replicable prototype for cost effective, high-amenity housing” (Nigel Bertram, AIA Victorian Architecture Awards Jury 2014) suitable for other sites where a hostile outlook invites the creation of a meaningful inward focus.

 

Photos: Shannon McGrath