Urban

For architect and resident Jeremy McLeod, The Commons apartment block in Melbourne represents not just a new way of living sustainably but a fresh take on property development.

To enter architect David Saunders’ home in Melbourne is to take a trip on a sea of ideas.

Christopher Polly’s extension of a Sydney semi to accommodate a family of five targetted its under-utilised undercroft area and ... a jacaranda tree.

It took 20 years before owner Nikki Maloney was ready to say goodbye to her 1890s weatherboard. In architect/builder Drew Heath she found someone who understood how to retain some of the old while radically reconfiguring the unusual site.

Creating a fully flowing family home from a dark Fitzroy terrace disconnected from its north-facing rear meant careful reprogramming of its five-metre-wide site.

This low-budget, lightweight extension in Brisbane showcases the twin talents of architect Mick Hellen.

Architect David Vernon has packed as many kid-focussed features as possible into his transparent new Elwood home, including a cricket pitch lawn, a shop-style play nook and racing circuits.

Sustainable design consultant Megan Norgate’s dilapidated Californian Bungalow in Melbourne’s Fitzroy North came with the works: Merri Creek, bike paths, a sloping site ideal for permaculture and an old-school neighbourhood where kids roam happily between houses.

An architect/builder couple took a literal idea for the design of their new home – “dealing with the opposites and bringing them into tension” – and promised each other they would not compromise. And they didn’t.

When mature-age architecture student Amy Carroll and her young family bought an elevated Californian Bungalow in Northcote, Melbourne, last May with a big, glorious garden and clear views to the Dandenongs, the brief for an unusually quick, quirky, low- waste renovation that preserved the house’s history soon revealed itself.

Standing out from its neighbours in Subiaco, Perth this striking new home reflects the expertise and principles of its architect owners.

Using the ingenuity of a designer on a tight budget and the talents of various artisan friends, a creative couple has built a home packed with surprises – including a large green roof – and materials that are either reclaimed or handcrafted and have intriguing stories to tell.