Creating a piece of architecture that defines itself as a standout amongst a streetscape already lined with architectural wonders is a gigantic and admittedly, hard feat. Yet, nestled in the hillside of one of Brisbane’s most prestigious suburbs sits East Room House. A testament to toeing the line of residential architecture amongst many of its neighbouring kin. East Room House plays with the notion of what traditionally classifies a building as a home and answers it differently.

“Awesome awesome project.”

– Bruce Mole – Director/Project Manager at Thallon Mole Group – First impressions

Hardy commercially minded materials typically softened or hidden during the construction and design stages are fearlessly highlighted throughout the home, disrupting the traditional approach to residential spaces. East Room House exemplifies the power and subtle brilliance that hard forms and textures have to offer in a residential setting. When speaking about off form, pre-cast and polished concrete surfaces, bold powder coated steel and aluminium mesh panels being paired with thick large panes of glass and natural timbers, it creates a preconception of a hardy industrial space. Yet, the way in which they flow together at East Room House produces a warm familial atmosphere traditionally reserved for domestic living spaces. Almost inciting a poetic visual experience for those that traverse within and observe these unconventional aspects working together in harmony.

“A big building challenge would have to be the fact that the project featured off form ceilings and extensive polished concrete floors, which meant the removal of all the ceiling spaces usually reserved for services placements. Another significant challenge was how meticulous and perfect planning needed to be due to these same raw materials being intended to be the final finished products.”

Bruce Mole – Director/Project Manager at Thallon Mole Group – Building Challenges

Bringing to life a piece of architecture that hosts, at its core, an advanced level of complexity and intricacy does not come without its challenges. As with most challenges, those that arose during the construction of East Room House were used as both a learning experience and an opportunity to be innovative. However, it would be naïve to romanticise the construction of a project with as many different moving parts required to be melded together as this. This meant that everyone involved had a personal pivotal moment during the build that evolved into a rewarding private achievement.

“The most important moment during the build would have to be the installation of the profillet glass. This product caused delays with the project, and it was awesome to see it installed and looking epic.”

Bruce Mole – Director/Project Manager at Thallon Mole Group – Pivotal moment

As with any project, the role of the layout defines the narrative provided in the client brief and brings to light the quintessential items of the inhabitant’s day to day life. The decision of placement, arrangement and even volume allocated to each space within the home also speaks to the hierarchy of these areas. At East Room House, the defining aspects of the layout are also orchestrated to be architectural assets in of themselves. When it comes to the pool, wine cellar or study nook in the home each element is thought out, designed, and built to showcase their importance to the clients’ everyday activities and desires. Yet, they also achieve being architecturally significant in response due to their unique positioning, material application and design. Those involved in the project each had a standalone architectural asset that they had as their own favourite.

“Definitely the pool – it’s a simple pool but it just looks sensational.”

Bruce Mole – Director/Project Manager at Thallon Mole Group – Favourite element of the home

To categorise a piece of architecture is limiting to a degree as each “genre” is eternally undergoing a metamorphosis, revival, or a creation. However, when musing upon what is and what makes up East Room House those involved in the process had their own categorisations of the enigmatic house.