Attewell / Rowlock | bureau^proberts

The Rowlock development at Nundah provides an alternative to infill housing by placing four townhouses behind the existing dwelling that complement the house.

The design draws heavily on the pre-war Californian Bungalow style of the existing house while aligning with the relaxed suburban surroundings of the Brisbane city fringe. For example, Rowlock’s rendered walls painted in cream, tapered columns, and decorative brickwork are all original elements evident in the existing house.

A major feature of the townhouses is a brick screen that is a reference to the face-brick detailing of this particular style and era. This technique is also used in the pattern of brick infill screening on the underside of the house. The brick screen has the dual purpose of creating a sense of identity for the townhouses and providing maintenance free protection from the Western sun. The bricks, although familiar in colour and style, are placed in a way that creates pattern, light, shade and decoration reminiscent of the existing building.