Team Work – Black + White House

At Cantilever we know that it is the quality of the team that determines the quality of the outcome.  Buildings are like mini-ecosystems; and building them likewise relies on the harmony of the multiple specializations of thinkers, makers, and planners that determine each component.

Cantilever love to work on Architectural projects that complement our design approach, our Kitchen Systems offer a resolved palette, detailing and design service that can easily intersect a building plan.    One such project is the Black and White House; where in a rare occurrence; our clients approached Cantilever as the kitchen and cabinet designers before even considering the architecture of the extension.  Our clients loved our K3 Kitchen, and needed to find an architect who could work with this palette.  With a mutual design respect and focus on sustainable materials, refined detailing and environmental performance, we recommended friend and architect Ben Callery Architects.

It was a pleasure to collaborate with Ben and our horticulturist clients; we particularly enjoyed learning from Ben’s holistic approach to sustainability.

The drive for sustainable, quality design informed many choices through the project and also provide strong architectural gestures.

Strategies include:

• Maximising solar gain in winter through a north orientation, raked roof and clerestory windows
• Large openings connect the home with the landscape, locating these on either side of the home provides cross-ventilation
• Passive cooling is assisted by the use of louvre windows and energy efficient ceiling fans
• A well-insulated concrete slab provides thermal mass and high-levels of insulation  maintain steady temperatures throughout the seasons
• Quality materials with minimal maintenance to increase life span
• The result is an elegant and compact extension featuring a restrained material palette which is designed to complement and accentuate the materials and details of our K3 Kitchen Series.

Other features include:

• Melbourne-made Cantilever steel handles
• Splashback window with louvre and clerestory window
• Eames lounge chair
• Mies van de Rohe Barcelona chair
• Haiku ceiling fans

Photography by Tatjana Plitt
Styling Ben Callery and Tatjana Plitt