The brief called for a generous family home, pool, entertaining spaces and rooftop planting on a tightly constrained inner-city site of less than 300 square metres.

Retaining the existing Queenslander and building beneath it unlocked opportunities that a conventional approach would have sacrificed. From there, the design became an exercise in careful layering — stacking living spaces, bedrooms, landscape and outdoor amenity while maintaining a strong sense of openness throughout.

Natural light became the project's defining driver. A central void draws daylight from a skylight above deep into the lower levels, creating visual connections between floors and reducing reliance on artificial lighting. Open balustrading allows light to travel further, reinforcing the vertical connection through the home.

Where neighbouring properties pressed close to the boundary, the architecture turns inward. Courtyards and planted pockets create moments of relief, drawing greenery into the centre of the plan and softening the relationship between inside and out.

Large picture windows frame views across Brisbane, while a restrained palette of white surfaces, natural stone and planting allows light and landscape to take centre stage. The result is a home that feels unexpectedly expansive despite the limitations of its site.