Cascade House is a cosy and robust family home, built for the architects own family on a unique vacant internal lot close to inner city Hobart. The property is located on a sunny north-facing slope and surrounded by established trees. The modest-sized living spaces have generous distant views balanced with a partly walled enclosure for comfort and privacy. The entry area and courtyard walls are made from local sandstone: Buckland stone for the entry columns; and local convict-picked blocks that were salvaged from the site.

The house is thermally efficient, constructed from insulated lightweight masonry, triple-glazed timber windows and slender steel-framed double-glazed windows. Further insulation is provided by a green roof that – along with underground water tanks – reduces the impact on the council stormwater infrastructure, providing an on-site buffer. The green roof will provide a bird and insect habitat as the native plants grow over the coming years.

The project demonstrates a holistic approach to sustainability, from urban response to material selection. The siting on an infill site and small footprint set an excellent precedent in developing small-lot housing near the centre of the city, while the house exhibits excellent thermal performance, harvests rainwater for irrigation and firefighting and uses low maintenance, long-life materials. The house and landscape utilise a range of natural and recycled material selections, with care also taken through construction to minimise waste and environmental impact. It is a house that is at once innovative, environmentally sensitive and beautiful.

Cascade House also presents an excellent example of a sensitive and considered infill housing on a challenging lot, demonstrating a sustainable approach to densification and housing strategy in the inner-city.

Photography by Adam Gibson

Dissections
Furniture: Custom green couch by Nicholls Design; Vintage / salvaged furniture including Thonet Melnikov chairs and Coogans Hardwood Table. Lighting: Unios lighting, Casa Monde; vintage light fitting , Angelucci; LED strips and difusers, Rexel. Finishes: Render: Unitex, Rockcote, Dulux; Timber lining boards: Woodley and Co, Timber Wholesales, Britton Timbers; Concrete sealer: Build Tech; Tiles and Benchtops: Bamstone. Fittings & Fixtures: Tapware: Faucet Strommen; Appliances: Fisher & Paykel, Elite; Elec fittings: Hagar; Joinery fittings, hinges & pivot mechanisms: Hafele; Brass fixtures and fittings: Custom brass by Core Collective and Air-Con Industries; Windows: Outline DK.