A new family residence in Perth, Australia, demonstrates how industrial heritage can inform contemporary residential design through thoughtful material choices and spatial organization. Designed by local firm Philip Stejskal Architecture, the Henville Street House takes direct inspiration from the nearby Fremantle cargo port, incorporating corrugated metal cladding and steel-framed awnings that echo the utilitarian aesthetic of maritime infrastructure. The project represents a cost-effective response to a challenging urban site while maintaining a strong connection to outdoor space and garden areas. Studio founder Philip Stejskal describes it as a simple project constrained by budget and site conditions, yet one that successfully balances durability with livability.
The home's exterior features a literal box form wrapped in corrugated iron, a material choice that pays homage to the original workers' cottages that once dominated the neighborhood. This cladding strategy offers multiple practical benefits: it withstands Perth's harsh coastal environment, requires minimal maintenance, and provides an economical solution for the budget-conscious project. A skeletal steel frame extends beyond the main volume, creating a double-height structure that will eventually be covered by climbing plants. This vertical trellis system transforms the outdoor patio into what Stejskal calls an "outdoor room," complete with a retractable fabric awning that allows the space to adapt to seasonal weather patterns.
Site topography played a crucial role in the design development, as the property features a one-meter level change from north to south. The architects positioned the home to take advantage of this natural slope, creating sunken living, dining, and kitchen areas that gradually step up into the garden. A large window sill doubles as seating alongside full-height sliding glass doors, creating a seamless transition between interior and exterior spaces. The steel frame wraps around to the front elevation, forming a small protective awning above the entrance and garage while maintaining the home's cohesive material language throughout.
Interior finishes provide a warm counterpoint to the industrial exterior palette. Dark Australian hardwoods line the walls and built-in storage elements, creating rich, tactile surfaces that ground the living spaces. Pale curtains cloak the full-height windows, offering privacy while allowing natural light to filter through. The garden-facing facades feature narrow vertical battens that continue the rhythm of the exterior trellis system, creating visual continuity between inside and out. This material dialogue between rough and refined, industrial and natural, defines the home's character and demonstrates how modest budgets can still achieve architectural sophistication.
The project's sustainable design strategies extend beyond material durability. The climbing plant system on the steel frame will create a deciduous green wall that opens up to embrace winter sunlight while providing cooling shade during summer months. This living architecture gives the owners an additional room for outdoor living and dining while improving the home's environmental performance. The design approach reflects a growing trend in Australian residential architecture toward climate-responsive solutions that integrate vegetation into the building envelope. Similar projects across the country, including Studio Bright's blockwork home in Melbourne wrapped in metal mesh screens and Nick Kent Design's steel-framed "kit of parts" Bondi House, demonstrate this movement toward green infrastructure in domestic settings.
