Open House Perth 2019

Open House Perth, a free two day event that celebrates the best of architecture and design was held in Perth on the weekend of the 16th and 17th of November.
With 120 places on show, from commercial venues to residential architectural masterpieces, heritage gems and beautiful gardens, this event invites people to explore their city and destinations that aren't usually accessible to the public.

Saturday was an extremely hot day for Perth's Autumn at 40C (104F) and I considered staying indoors, but at the same time didn't want to miss the opportunity to see some amazing places that I had earmarked to visit. We had a previous engagement for Sunday, so it had to be Saturday.
I managed to convince Jose to accompany me and just visit 4 or 5 places!
This year I could only participate in the Saturday visits as we already had an invitation to a friend's house for Sunday.

We started with a visit to the offices of the Arup Group, an architect/designer firm in Exhange Tower on The Esplanade, the road just across from Elizabeth Quay, so that we could enjoy an aerial view of the quay.
Arup was celebrating their 50th year in construction and they were the ones that designed the Elizabeth Quay bridge, they were involved in the construction of the Optus Stadium in Perth, the indoor waterfall at Changi Airport in Singapore, Cebu Airport in Cebu, Philippines (where I flew from in December 2018, when I attended my daughter's wedding)...

Their open plan offices with fantastic views over part of the city was just amazing.

Elizabeth Quay bridge built by Arup

The open plan offices

Timeline of their most iconic projects for the last 50 years -  A Lego model of the Opera House sat at the reception desk

When we left Arup, we walked around Elizabeth Quay, stopped for an ice-cream and came across a "tiny home", by Tiny Homes Perth. They seem to be very much in fashion, but even though they had everything you could wish to have in a house, it's just too tiny for my liking and I couldn't have all the clothes or shoes I have as the wardrobe space was just too minimal 😉.

Visit done we walked back to the parking lot, got in the car and drove west of the city to the suburb of Wembley to visit the recently completed Reuse House by X-Space Architects.

With a major renovation, they transformed a 1950's house into a big modern home, reusing and recycling existing materials from the original home and with energy efficient features.

The facade using the old brick

The compact outdoor area

The next two houses we visited just a couple of km's away were in the suburb of Doubleview.
Ravenscar House was built in just a 186 sqm (2002 sqf) site by architect/builder/owner Pablo Segnini.
The double storey house was so well conceived that he even managed to include a small pool in the backyard (sideyard in their case), with an open plan lounge/dining/kitchen, laundry/toilet on the ground floor and three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a study nook and family room on the first floor.
We enjoyed a chat with the owner who explained some of the materials he used and the reason why he chose to have a pool rather than a closed garage.

The VVision House was the last one, designed, built and owned by architects Christian and Deepti Wetjen.
The most sustainable, energy and waterwise efficient of the three of them, this two and a half storey house was the first straw bale house to be approved and built in the City of Stirling, and one of the first in Perth, but as Deepti explained to us they had to prove to the Council with data from straw bale houses built around the world that it was a viable and sustainable way to build.

The combination of the straw bale walls, insulated sandwich roof panels, double glazed windows that came all the way from Germany, make the house feel comfortable the whole year around. And we can attest to that, because with a 40C (104F) outside, indoors it was a cool 27C (80.6F). Solar panels, efficient lighting and appliances, water tanks and grey water recycling, the house generates more power than it uses, and we were told they mainly only pay for gas.

The 2 bedroomed ground floor is separate from the top floors and is rented out, while the family live above. 

The ground floor unit

A staircase over the 1st floor bedrooms leads to an ample family room used for sewing, studying, reading with views to Scarborough Beach on one side and balcony views to the city on the other side. Really beautiful!

All in all it was a great day out and Jose even enjoyed himself and had the opportunity of asking all sorts of questions regarding the sustainability of the houses.

The top floor and the family room (top left photo)

The city on one side and the sea on the other

November - Open House Perth- Part II

OPEN HOUSE PERTH - Sun. 11th

Following from Saturday's visit to the Open House venues.

On Sunday, Sofia a friend who is an architect and her two daughters joined me for a visit to some of Perth's funkiest and innovative private homes.

Because I had to take the car this time I planned the visit with google maps so that I could travel from one place to the other without wasting time. I had aimed to see 11 houses but managed to see 9, as I hadn't counted on the waiting lines to get into some of the most popular houses, and the time spent inside each house...
Still, we loved what we saw and came home with lots of ideas.

HOUSE A was a 3-storey tiny house with a garage underneath, lounge and kitchen on the ground floor and a loft bedroom. It was built in the front of a block where an old house was already built (undergoing renovations), and a third house was being built at the back.

House A was made of recycled concrete panels and white washed recycled bricks, and the floors and kitchen counters were all made of cement.

It was ideal for a young couple, it had a little courtyard at the back with not much maintenance needed.

ABBETTHAUS was a recently constructed house, the owners had just moved in. Built at the back of an older house which faced the street behind, it was double storey, very modern, and I loved the tiny plunge pool at the entrance.

The BRICK HOUSE, probably one of the most popular destinations judging by the long line of people waiting outside (it took us about 30min before we got in), was designed to look like a renovated heritage factory turned house. 
The brick exterior didn't convince me, but I liked some of the indoor features.
It had 4 levels, with an underground entertainment room, the kitchen/lounge/dining/study and bathroom on the ground floor, 3 bedrooms on the first floor and a terrace above the main bedroom with views to the city centre.
My favourites in this house were the round window above a net over the lounge (it could hold 1 tonne) with views to the city and by the mini library. I could imagine relaxing there reading a book with the sun shining on me.

Lounge, round window with views of city, one of the bedrooms, the relaxing net and window, underground movie room, bathroom

The terrace and the hydraulic door/window above the staircase to the terrace, the kitchen, a vespa in the lounge and balcony

Designed for the rental market on a small block of land, the DOG HOUSE had two bedrooms each with a walk in robe and en-suite bathroom on the first floor and a kitchen, lounge and dining room that led to a small courtyard.

The front of the house pays homage to the owner's terrier (who died last year), with the main wall made of angled glazed bricks that shows a dog and even the cement pavement at the entrance had dog paws. 

The dog wall is better seen from the other side of the road.

BETON HOUSE would get my top 3 vote. It seemed to be very popular too with a long queue outside.
A 60's house renovated by Western Australia's favourite contestants from "The Block" and "Matt & Kim to the Rescue, it was chic and modern. It was for sale and the price includes about 30 thousand dollars worth of furniture.

When I searched online for the price I actually came across the previous sale in September 2014 with photos of the house before, and you can see the amazing transformation from awful to amazing in the two links. It went from a 3 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 garage to 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2 car bays.
It's in a very good suburb and the price also reflects the renovation - from $732,000 to an asking price of between $1,175,000 to $1,225,000 now.
The only think I didn't like the bath in the upstairs bedroom, but on the other hand the walk in wardrobe behind the bedroom with access to the bathroom was my dream wardrobe!

   

https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-wa-mount+hawthorn-117530307

https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-wa-mount+hawthorn-129808290

From drab to fab - before and after (photos from Reiwa website)

Before and After house plan (photos from Reiwa website)

At the CASA 314 - STUDIO CONVERSION, entry was through a back lane that led to a former garage that had been converted into an architect's studio for the owner.
Folding glass doors had been added to 3 sides of the garage, one leading to the lane, the others to the courtyard. A small kitchen and bathroom had been added to one side of the garage which made the room self contained.
A nice green tiled spa bath was accessible from the garden and also from a room behind the kitchen.
We had access to the kitchen and to the upstairs family room via a funky staircase with the walls covered in mdf which had been burned with a torch burner and then given a coat of varnish. 
The upstairs room was also totally covered in mdf - tv unit, plenty of storage, a unit dividing lounge to a study, and even part of the house roof was covered with mdf and the former chimney extended - apparently the kids enjoyed climbing and sliding down that ramp.
The rest of the house was out of bounds to visitors.

The former garage - entry, roof skylight, the studio and courtyard with kids cubby house

The staircase covered mdf, a spa bath accessible from the garden and from the interior, the top extension, the top lounge and kitchen

UNION ST RESIDENCE, was also very nice, a bit too modern for me, double storey, also had a small plunge pool on the tiny front courtyard.

OGILVIE HOUSE was number 2 on my list. A former 2 bedroom cottage which was remodeled and enlarged from a 2 bedroom to a 4 bedroom.

The front entrance was relocated to the side and the former entry corridor space was converted into wardrobes for the 2 bedrooms now at the front of the house.

A modern back addition added 2 extra bedrooms, a study and a very roomy lounge/dining/kitchen.

A lovely garden geared for kids and a small pool at the back completed this lovely renovation. A quirky detail was that in the old part of the house the ?antique" light switches and wall plugs were left.

And lastly we saw the house that was my favourite,  CLEAVER ST RESIDENCE which also combined old charm and ultra modern.

There was so much to love in this house - the views to the city from the top floor bedroom, the cosy courtyard, the bird like light fitting above the dining table, the lead glass original front door, the arches and corbels in the corridor, the long kitchen counter....

Courtyard seen from different perspectives

Lead glass front door, arches in corridor, bird like light fitting, kitchen, glass doors to the lounge

Top floor bedroom, view to the city from bedroom, looking into a bedroom window, small study with views, chairs on bedroom corner

Somewhere on one of our stops we spotted this synthetic grass covered VW. We had to stop and take photos. I wonder if it's roadworthy or it's just a garden ornament.

Hope you enjoyed the house tours and that the grass car made you smile 😊

Open House Perth 2018 (part I)

November is always a busy month for me -  friend's birthdays, Open House Perth, Christmas lights trail in the city, Christmas events to plan, people to invite, a Christmas work function to attend, presents to buy or make, coffee dates with friends who I won't see again until next year, my grandson's birthday...

This year there's still a trip to the Philippines between the 8th and 22nd December,  which will shorten my time to do things...

OPEN HOUSE PERTH - Sat. 10th
KINGS PARK

Open House is an exciting weekend with thousands of  people darting from one end of the city to the other for an unique opportunity to visit some of Western Australia's best buildings, see behind the scenes of certain monuments and to visit architect designed private homes. This year with about 100 venues open, the choice of visits was quite difficult. 

On Saturday I started with a visit to Kings Park, not part of Open House, but just because it was the day before Armistice Day and I wanted to see the red poppies display.

I always feel so lucky to live in Perth when I admire the views of the city from Kings Park.

But I was sad to see that 90% of the people I came across were walking while looking at their phones, or sitting down looking at their phones, or even "talking" to others while they looked at their phones...

Why can't people leave their phones alone for a short while and enjoy the views and a face to face chat? And it wasn't just young people, some were older than me!

City views from Kings Park, people walking, sitting but always on their mobile phones

Poppies for Armistice Day on 11th Nov

Some of the Spring flowers still blooming

QT HOTEL - SANTINI RESTAURANT & ROOFTOP BAR

Then followed a visit to my first Open House venue - QT Hotel, at 133 Murray street.

The luxurious, 18 storey designer hotel in the centre of Perth City, opened in August and appears to be the new in thing in Perth. 

It has 185 bedrooms with luxurious bathrooms, and the art displayed and the decor of the hotel rooms are all linked to Western Australian fauna and flora and its colours. 
My favourite room was the Yellow room with the black cockatoo wall paper.

Bedrooms, art, bathroom and mini-bar in each room - the yellow room with the cockatoo wallpaper (top right)

On the first floor we visited the Italian Santini Restaurant and on the 18th floor the piece de resistance was the rooftop bar, with an indoor area for 110 people and outdoor area for 90 people, with views to the Swan river.

Back panel in lift, the dining room (top), the first floor bar, foyer, corredor with earth colour murals (bottom)

Rooftop bar, indoor and outdoor area, the QT hotel building

HADIQA RESTAURANT

Next was the Hadiqa restaurant, and here they had a limited time slot for visits, so I was on time.

This Morocco inspired oasis which opened in April this year, is located in the newly developed area east of the CBD - Hibernian Place across from the new Westin Hotel.

The lovely and green public square on the corner of Hay and Erwin streets has given the eastern side of the city new life.

The narrow restaurant, long bar and open kitchen seem quite spacious and fresh with a lot of fake greenery hanging from the ceiling and walls, and on the second floor they also have a small rooftop bar.

All visitors were given a sweet mint tea before a short talk by the Hibernian Place coordinator and by the designers of Hadiqa, which means Garden in Arabic.

Hadiqa restaurant with Middle Eastern decor 

Stairs to the rooftop bar and rooftop bar (left), dining area and Moroccan lanterns and decor (right)

Hibernian Place - resting areas, flowers and herbs, green spaces, the Hadiqa restaurant and rooftop bar

ART GALLERY OF Western Australia

My last visit was to the Art Gallery of WA where I visited 2 of the exhibitions on display - 

Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly series and Beyond Bling.

After the gallery visit I stood for a few minutes enjoying the sounds of Jazz music - part of the International Jazz Festival - being played across from the gallery at the Wetlands outdoor entertainment area.

Jazz Festival, The Art Gallery of WA, statues in the gallery

Ned Kelly series of pictures, other art in the gallery

Beyond Bling exhibition

  Around 4,30pm it was time to take the train home and finish dinner as my son, daughter in law and grandchild would be arriving at 5,30 for an early dinner.

Around the Cultural Centre they have a community garden with flowers and herbs, and anyone can help themselves to some herbs on the way home. The old Perth station is just below and I crossed it to access the newer area on the other side from where my train departed.

Community garden at the Perth Cultural Centre and Perth train station (bottom right)

Open House Perth 2017 - Day 2

On the outskirts of the city centre and northwest of Perth's beautiful Kings Park is the leafy suburb of Subiaco or Subi. On the second day of the Open House Perth, this was where I first headed to for my first visit of the day.

1) The Sustainability House was designed and built by a couple, she being a University architecture teacher and he being a lawyer in the area of construction and building law as well as being an architect, both having a passion for sustainable living and low maintenance materials.

Sustainable House and gardens

I loved the picture gallery in the lounge/kitchen area, where the art hung from a metal rack that could be pushed from one side to another thus showing different art.

The house had a basement where there was a laundry, study and an ingenious library where the units were sideways on a track rail, so as not to occupy much space. Another great idea!
The materials were all industrial like but used very effectively.
I asked the owner about constructions costs if building that way, and she said they were comparable to the building of a normal brick house but in the long term the upkeep and running costs are a lot lower. They had solar panels on the roof but no air-conditioning as the way the windows, blinds, and roof overhangs were placed meant the house didn't need cooling in our hot Summers.
The house has won a number of commendations from the Institute of Architects in 2011 including an award for sustainability.

2) Subiaco Mural Walk - in Subiaco I joined the tour guide at the designated meeting point and she took us around a few of the murals being painted as part of the "Paint Subi" initiative. A couple of international artists present were Okuda San Miguel from Spain who painted two big walls (right of photo) and the American Evoca 1, who painted the post office building (left of photo). I had a chance to speak to Okuda who was quite impressed with Perth and the beaches and said I was lucky to live here.

Evoca 1 on left and the Okuda San Miguel who painted two colourful walls (that's him on bottom photo)

3) The Nature Inspired Eco House was just outside the Perth Central Business district. It was a simple house built behind another one with reclaimed materials, cement floors, unfinished walls. It would have been a cheap house to build and to furnish with vintage second hand pieces. The narrow lane leading to the house was beautiful with bougainvillea leaves on the pavers.

4) Perth Town Hall is an elegant heritage building in central Perth on the corner of Hay street and Barrack street.
Along with a group of people I very much enjoyed a guided tour of most of the building and  memorabilia. The guide was very entertaining and knowledgeable.

The building was finished in 1870, having taken 3 years to be built as part of a public works program using convict labour.  It's built in a Victorian Gothic style, with a market place beneath the hall and a watch tower at one end.
The clay bricks used in the building came from East Perth clay pits in what is now Queen's Gardens.
The market hall which until 1924 housed various tenants such as the fire brigade, insurance brokers and the tram office is now a space sometimes used for craft markets on weekends.
The imposing hall can be hired for wedding receptions, gala functions and meetings.
The lower foyer houses a model of the World War II warship HMAS Perth, as well as the ship's bells of the Perth I and II, while historic portraits and items of memorabilia are on display in the upper foyer.
The building underwent a complete restoration which was completed in 2005.

5) Museum of Perth housed in the beautiful Atlas building located at The Esplanade in the city centre is a initiative of the Perth History Association, a not for profit organization founded in 2015. The Museum chronicles the social, cultural, architectural and political history of Perth, and it was actually the first time that I had come across this museum.

The four-storey Atlas building on The Esplanade, was inaugurated in April 1931, built in the Art Deco style.
Until 1969, there was a life sized figure of Atlas supporting a glob atop the building, which due to maintenance issues was permanently removed, although the Atlas emblem can still be seen in some of the door hardware throughout the building.
The marble walls, leaded windows, letter box, first lift in Perth, etc make it a very interesting building.

, 

And so ended my weekend tour of the chosen venues for that weekend of the Open House Perth.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing bits of Perth I don't usually see, and look forward to next year's choice. Hope you too enjoyed the other side of Perth.