By Breathe
Hideout House is a refuge for a quiet, close-knit family of four. Hideout House is their antidote to the busy world outside, offering a protected and comforting place they can call home. Designed for family life, the approach is a practical one. It is simply about improving the functionality and thermal performance, enabling them to live harmoniously, comfortably and more sustainably.
Located in a quiet Brunswick street, the existing weatherboard house was preserved and celebrated. The existing spaces were lightly touched and given new life whilst a new, humble, recycled brick extension sits inconspicuously beyond. The recycled red brick walls and polished concrete floors act as a solid, protective armour to the family inside while providing thermal mass to stabilise internal temperatures.
Understated yet considered, Hideout House is a protected retreat for the family of four, enabling them to come together, share memories and carry out their family rituals.
Photography by Tom Ross
We are proud to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Hideout House stands. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.
Australia’s most awarded sustainable design firm, and its most dependable.
Our Approach
Breathe undertakes meaningful projects we can be proud of — those that align with our purpose and values.
Since we focus on maximising positive impact, many of our projects don’t fit the common definition of ‘architecture’.
We work to understand who we’re designing for. We strive to inspire, engage and support our clients and the broader communities we serve.
We prioritise social, environmental and economic sustainability in every project. We question the status quo to pursue outcomes that are informed by, and seek to better, those that came before.
Above all, we prioritise ethics along with aesthetics, and design without ego, to create the best outcomes for our clients and their communities.