The Brookes St House, Fortitude Valley
by James Russell Architects:
A contemporary home and office space nestled between two heritage-liseted, nineteenth-century churches. The house site was previously a car park wedged between the churches and the two main arterial roads that surround it. For the architect, James Russell, there were many hurdles to overcome in the design process. After buying the church in 1992 and living in it for several years, Russell decided to see how he could expand the property further. He had an interesting idea of grafting another building on the side of the church in oder to take up the space of the 'Ugly car park'. It took a six month period for the design process to be completed which was promptly followed by construction of the building.
The new building is composed of steel and glass and is shaped typically as a box. It has a central forecourt covered with grass where both churches can be seen. A small discreet entry leads to the family home upstairs, while tucked below is a small office and car park area. The house is very open and light making it very suited to the Brisbane climate.
