Jimmy's House – 2022 National Architecture Awards - Australian Institute of Architects

2022 National Architecture Awards: Residential Architecture – Houses (New) – Shortlist

Jimmy’s House | MJA Studio with Studio Roam and IOTA

Traditional Land Owners: Whadjuk People of the Nyoongar Nation

This home seeks to challenge the business-as-usual approach to battle-axe subdivisions.

Our brief was to fit more area for gardens and courtyards than the site itself, to flip the typical diagram and make the laneway our front door and opening up in party mode to the adjacent park. It had to be compliant with the R-codes and had to be generous to its neighbors.

This home riffs on the work of Marshall Clifton and Julius Elischer and their search for an appropriate vernacular Architecture for Perth, in this case a courtyard house arranged around and within a series of seasonal garden rooms.

This project has exceeded the brief requirements, approved via delegated authority it achieves 277m² of gardens and open space on the 256m² lot and is appreciated by its neighbors’ and the local community for the way it interacts with existing structures, the laneway and the Park.

Client perspective:
How does the design benefit the way you live/work/play/operate/educate/other?

“Designing a long-term home for yourself is an intriguing and challenging prospect. Being my own worst client, I redesigned the project three times, even pulling it out of the DA process to completely redesign.
Ultimately though, having lived in the home for a period of time I feel vindicated in the fact that all of the advice I’ve been giving to clients over the past 15 years is true, design does make a difference to how you live your life. I now find myself working less and spending mch more time at home, It’s a joy I’m very grateful for.”