Alcorn Middleton, Australia: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2022
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios. Meet Alcorn Middleton from Australia and its Peakaboo House
Brisbane-based studio Alcorn Middleton and Peakaboo House have made it into the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2022, our annual list of exciting emerging practices from across the globe, thanks to directors Joel Alcorn and Chloe Middleton's sense of passion, experimentation and love of detail.
Who: Alcorn Middleton
One of the youngest studios in this year’s Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory, Alcorn Middleton was set up in 2019, by Joel Alcorn and Chloe Middleton. ‘Our journey began well before Alcorn Middleton materialised in 2019,’ they explain. ‘It started back in 2013, very organically and unexpectedly, when we began working with each other, brought together by a mutual friend from university. And once we got to talking, we’d surmised that we both shared even more mutual friends, having studied at the same university throughout our undergraduate degree, without ever crossing paths. It didn’t take us long to realise we shared synergies in work ethic, drive, and passion for design.’
Both Alcorn and Middleton are trained in architecture and interior design, jumping between the two as each project requires, and bringing together expertise that allows them to look into each building at an extreme level of detail. The team now takes on works in both the residential and commercial realms, with Peakaboo House (pictured) being a key breakthrough project for the practice. Their approach is strongly influenced by the climatic conditions of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales, where the directors grew up. At the same time, ‘we share a view that each project is specific to its site, which provides the best affordances and constraints that we [learn] from at the outset of our projects. This enables the prospect of uniqueness to be uncovered,’ they say.
What: Peakaboo House
Peakaboo House is an existing suburban home in Brisbane transformed to accommodate a multigenerational extended family. Instead of demolishing and rebuilding, the architects decided to use the structure’s original concrete walls and hardwood floors, extending and improving. The result is a composition of two ‘pavilions’ arranged across a single plot and united by gardens and outdoor pathways that help weave everything together, effortlessly blending inside and outside.
The older structure was redesigned to become the older couple’s base, containing bedrooms and bathrooms for them, as well as guest rooms for visitors. The younger couple occupy the top level of the new addition in a self-contained loft-style studio, while its ground floor features an extended communal space with living, dining and kitchen spaces for all. Sharing resources, space and supporting one another, the inhabitants of Peakaboo House form a small, sustainable community. Environmental friendliness was also part of the equation, through the use of passive heating and cooling elements throughout. Meanwhile, the complex’s distinctive looks make it stand out in its residential neighbourhood, flagging it clearly as a vibrant home but also a distinctly contemporary structure.
Why: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2022
Conceived in 2000 as an international index of emerging architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe. While always championing the best and most promising young studios, over the years, the project has showcased inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. Now including more than 500 alumni, the Architects’ Directory is back for its 22nd edition. Join us as we launch this year’s survey – twenty young studios from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Paraguay, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed
77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
Burnt Earth Beach House is an experimental retreat crafted in terracotta
The experimental Australian Burnt Earth Beach House by John Wardle breaks new ground in material composition, using baked earth for warmth, texture and tonality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Lavender Bay house opens towards the water, overlooking Sydney harbour
Lavender Bay house by Tobias Partners is an expansive family home overlooking Sydney harbour
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Mori House is an Australian beach escape fusing international design influences
Mornington Peninsula's Mori House by architect Manuel Aires Mateus is a striking fusion of Australian, Portuguese and Japanese design influences
By Stephen Crafti Published
-
Victorian cottage transformed by radical extension into a light-filled living space
Glasshouse Projects has opened up the heart of this Victorian cottage in Adelaide, Australia, with a contemporary garden extension and pool
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Sydney’s Wharf Apartment is a heritage maritime space that evokes a coastal holiday home
Lawless & Meyerson’s Wharf Apartment is a careful, contemporary residential transformation in Sydney’s Finger Wharf that taps into the property's historic character
By Grace Bernard Published
-
Eclat rethinks 21st-century workspace with a hospitality offering in Melbourne
With new Melbourne co-working space Eclat, Australian designers Forme defy the conventional shared office model through sensitive craftsmanship and hidden high-tech
By Carli Philips Published
-
This Melbourne aquatic recreation centre’s crafted timber ceiling hints at its sustainability ambitions
The Northcote Aquatic Recreation Centre by Warren and Mahoney opens in Melbourne, blending sleek aesthetics with environmental responsibility
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Treetops House brings softness to contemporary concrete volumes in Sydney
Treetops House by Tobias Partners is an Australian home that juxtaposes crisp concrete volumes with soft curves, playful colours and lush nature
By Ellie Stathaki Published