Paperbark Pod by Bark Architects

When you buy a site close to the water, love to garden and want to speak over the fence to passers-by, you need a house that supports being outside. To meet this brief, Bark Architects designed a one-bedroom “pod” on the understanding that eventually, the client would add a larger house – one suitable for extended family – to the Caloundra site. But both client and architect now think the pod-like dwelling, which has evolved as necessary over time, might be all the house the client needs.

Located across the road from Currimundi Lake, the verdant site has a significant stand of melaleucas through the middle of its block. Original trees have also been retained, in part because Bark Architects discovered a lane at the rear of the property that limits vehicles to the site’s southern end. This setup means that there’s no need for new paths that would threaten existing trees; it also frees up the front of the house for strong connections with the street. The dwelling itself is simple and rectangular. Its twisted skillion roof runs high to the north, over the living areas, and low to the south, over the bedrooms, where it doubles as protection from the prevailing wind. The size of the internal spaces is set to the module of the ply sheet, which clads most of the floors, walls and ceilings.

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The house is simple and rectangular, set to the dimensions of plywood sheets.

Image: Christopher Frederick Jones

All rooms are modest in scale, including the galley kitchen, which is cross-ventilated and designed for entertaining one or two people. It is the intentional epicentre of the home, looking out to the garden, street and lake beyond. Plywood joinery draws on the existing material palette; a terracotta pendant light hangs over the copper-clad benchtop. The client says that this benchtop and its matching splashback are continually changing artworks because each use adjusts the patina, altering the appearance while preserving a hygienic work surface. Each time the architects visit, their client is holding court here, delighting in serving food and drink to friends.

While the kitchen’s views link it to the home’s surrounds, the bathroom directly connects through French doors that open to a walled space on the side of the house. This area will eventually be full of greenery, allowing private bathing in the comfort of the cross-breeze. The soft greens and greys of this wet space key in to the melaleucas – and a second copper benchtop offers another burst of ever-changing colour.