Cashmore House
Lachlan Shepherd Architects · 2019
Projects / Built project
Empire House
A compact Torquay home by Lachlan Shepherd Architects, designed for a retired couple. Precast concrete softened by internal timber, sheltered facade.
- Building levels
- 2
- Photographer
- Ben Hosking
- Project context
- Architecture · Built · Victoria · Residential · Residential (Private Homes)
The story
The story behind the work.
Set on a compact allotment in Torquay on Victoria's Surf Coast, Empire House was designed for a retired couple who wanted a home rooted in functionality, beauty and a strong sense of place. Lachlan Shepherd Architects answered the brief with a low-slung, understated street facade that gives little away about the volumes inside.
Privacy and amenity drive the plan. An internal and external sunroom plus carefully placed glazing offer filtered views of greenery and sky without exposing the occupants to the street. Highlight glazing and considered eave detailing harness full northern winter sun while excluding summer heat, holding the house at a comfortable temperature year-round.
Materials are chosen to age well. Precast concrete anchors the building and is softened throughout the interior by extensive use of timber, balancing the clinical and the warm. Completed in 2017 over two levels.
Project architects: Lachlan Shepherd and Jimmy Donaldson, Lachlan Shepherd Architects. Photography by Ben Hosking.
The practice