River Hearth House in Houses Magazine 154

Rebuffing the temptation of the singular view, this new house evokes memories of the site’s past occupation to craft a place for living and making on the Brisbane River.

Arcke principal Matt Kennedy’s creative journey with this riverfront site began as a careful study of a home designed by Kenneth Drewe in 1954. The first house built on the Indooroopilly reach of the Brisbane River at Chelmer, it became part of an enclave of mid-century-era homes that were built as new riverfront subdivisions opened during the 1950s. The home came on the market for the first time in 2018 and, drawn to its welcoming and understated character and lush landscape setting, the clients acquired it.

The initial brief to Arcke was to calculate whether to renovate or rebuild. As investigations progressed, it became clear that flood and termite damage had taken a severe toll on the structure, forcing the difficult decision to demolish and rebuild. The original house possessed “a modest footprint and sense of transparency that suited the location very well,” says Matt. Rebuilding became an opportunity to evoke and evolve these qualities, and to elevate the landscape setting that had drawn his clients to this place.

Read the full story here by Sheona Thomson. Images by Christopher Frederick Jones.