The White House – Modern abstract within Sydney Federation

A new type of multi-storey timber building is on the drawing board: open plan and in the two- to six-storey range, ideal for a huge number of commercial, industrial, educational and residential applications. Oh yes, and it will withstand earthquakes.

Contemporary Australian sculptor Geoffrey Bartlett is presenting the best of his life’s work at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) from 21 July through to 14 October.

From the street it appears to be a traditional Queensland house, complete with the history and romance of the Victorian era. But it has a secret – a contemporary, timber-clad living zone stepping down to ‘living space’ in a rear garden.

It is more than ‘interesting’. It is bizarre! But the tree house retreat of one of New Zealand’s most high-profile property developers is, like its owner, a major one-finger salute to convention.

Adelaide Airport was voted Australia’s Capital City Airport of the Year at the 2006 Awards for Aviation Excellence.

The White House is an award-winning alteration and addition to an existing Federation house facing Centennial Park in Sydney – an area renowned for large-scale homes of its type and history.

Located in a verdant gully near the river in Brisbane’s inner south-western suburbs, this small house takes full advantage of its secluded site and intimate views over the lush subtropical vegetation in the immediate surrounds.

The direct expression of material and structure and the extensive use of solid, laminated and veneered timbers combine to create a rich, legible and varied contemporary look.