{"id":880482,"date":"2026-09-05T03:56:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T03:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/880482\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T03:56:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T03:56:19","slug":"houses-awards-2026-clayfield-familys-half-light-house-extension-takes-out-top-architectural-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/880482\/","title":{"rendered":"Houses Awards 2026: Clayfield family\u2019s Half Light House extension takes out top architectural prize"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nick<\/p>\n

September 5, 2026 \u2014 10:36am<\/p>\n

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Brisbane couple Annie and Jim bought their 1920s timber cottage in 2008, but 10 years later, it was too small for their growing family with three small kids. They also wanted a swimming pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew we wanted the pool to be undercover so we didn\u2019t have to mess about with sunscreen and rashies every time the kids wanted a swim,\u201d the couple told this masthead via email.<\/p>\n

\"BuiltBuilt around the pool, the Half Light House extension embraces views to the west.Toby Scott\u00a0\"TheThe extension\u2019s glass walls open the back of the house to sunsets and hill views. Toby Scott<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also didn\u2019t want to expand the house\u2019s footprint much, as we didn\u2019t want to reduce the green space.\u201d<\/p>\n

They ended up with an extension built around a pool that uses transparent walls to open the back of the house up to views of hills to the west.<\/p>\n

Now \u201cHalf Light House\u201d, in the northern Brisbane suburb of Clayfield, has been named Australian House of the Year, as well as winning for best House Alteration and Addition Over 200 Square Metres, in the Houses Awards 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe house comes alive during golden hour.Toby Scott\"BrisbaneBrisbane architect John Ellway has taken the awards\u2019 top accolade for the second time, having won in 2021.Toby Scott<\/p>\n

Organised by Houses magazine, the awards celebrate the creativity of Australian architects and designers in shaping the future of residential design.<\/p>\n

They are judged by a panel of top architects chaired by the magazine\u2019s editor, Alexa Kempton.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Birdwood<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cRather than building homes that are much larger than occupants need or building to the extremities of the block, architects have instead embraced the surrounding landscapes and minimised the impact of the home on the site,\u201d Kempton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we really enjoy observing in Brisbane houses is when architects and designers preserve the qualities already there and then update them for modern life without just building more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brisbane architect John Ellway has taken the awards\u2019 top accolade for the second time, having won in 2021 for a Paddington house built on three platforms.<\/p>\n

Ellway said the Half Light House design hinged on the pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are safety conscious with pools, and the clients wanted to be able to overlook and see their kids from nearly every room,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe original house remains white and the extension is dark, in keeping with the name Half Light House.Toby Scott\"TheThe carport nods to undercroft spaces familiar in older Queensland homes. Toby Scott<\/p>\n

A covered outdoor patio provides a space for entertaining, and a void above the pool is open to the sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this beautiful, dappled reflection on most of the ceilings at different times of the day,\u201d Ellway said.<\/p>\n

Management of the intense afternoon sun was another consideration. The original house was designed to be closed off at the back; Ellway\u2019s extension controls the light with a simple system of blinds.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe western outlook is visible even from the front door of the original cottage.Toby Scott<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful outlook to the west, and they get this amazing light around dusk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Annie and Jim said now that the rear of the house was open, they could enjoy the sunset from almost everywhere in the house, \u201ceven as you\u2019re walking through the front gate\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we wake up in the morning and open the sliding glass doors above the pool, with the sun shining in and the trees just outside, it feels like we\u2019re on holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Brisbane\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Kempton said the house replicated a backyard pool experience without sacrificing green space.<\/p>\n

Ellway collaborated with garden designer Andrew Coates to incorporate a native verge garden, a shady undercroft garden, hard-wearing planting in the driveway that can handle being driven over, and a backyard miniature forest.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften we can get caught up thinking that the garden is an afterthought or something that happens once the house is designed, and John\u2019s approach is very different,\u201d Kempton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent architecture in Brisbane at the moment is thinking about how you can live outdoors and enjoy the climate, rather than feeling that you need to build a fortress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Houses Awards 2026 winners came from New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.<\/p>\n

Awards were given to houses, apartments, renovations, small projects, heritage projects, and an emerging architectural practice.<\/p>\n

Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"NickNick Dent<\/a> is a Culture Reporter at Brisbane Times, covering arts, entertainment and things to do in the city.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"September 5, 2026 \u2014 10:36am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":880483,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-880482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=880482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/880483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=880482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=880482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=880482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}