LOVE architecture and urbanism ZT GmbH

Dark Horse

DARK HORSE

Architecture Architecture

Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Michael Roper, Nick James

ENGINEERS
Kersulting, Perrett Simpson Stantin

BUILDER
Sinjen

MANUFACTURERS
ATLITE, Austral Bricks, LOCKER GROUP, Academy Tiles, Radial Timbers, Timberzoo, VAULKER HAUG

PHOTOGRAPHS
Peter Bennetts

AREA
107 m²

YEAR
2016

LOCATION
Brunswick East, Australia

CATEGORY
Houses, Houses Interiors

Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts

Text description provided by architect.

In a row of workers’ cottages, there is one Dark Horse – a handsome creature. The stepped parapet, centered window, sidelined door and entrance awning are carried with the familiar, unassuming composure of its neighbors.

Yet here the materials, stark in their composition, have a distinctly 21st-century character, hinting at the contemporary home within.

Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts

Indeed, the palette of black, white and gray is carried throughout the house, lending tonal variation and spatial depth to an otherwise diminutive site.

The play of tones establishes a subtle field of spaces that expand and contract, creating moments of generosity and intimacy.

Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts

In the living areas, where space and light are abundant, the material palette is darker, creating spaces of comfortable repose.

Here, sensitive use of acoustic treatment reinforces these qualities. In the corridors where space is tighter, the palette lightens and the ceilings lift. 

The corridor walls - slim and prefabricated to maximize internal space – are lined with a metal sheet to reflect light deep into the house. In the heart of the house, the living areas open onto a courtyard.

Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts

The high-ceilinged corridors pinwheel out from this heart, establishing a sunlit center around which most daily activity occurs.

Upstairs, a warmer palette of timber floors and lining boards sets the tone for the private quarters, while dramatic skylights and generous windows cast this Dark Horse in abundant natural light.

Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts


Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts
Dark Horse
© Peter Bennetts


Dark Horse
Ground Floor Plan
Dark Horse
Fist Floor Plan


Dark Horse
Street Elevation
Dark Horse
Rear Elevation

LOVE architecture and urbanism ZT GmbH
T +43 316 810106 F +43 316 810106-20
LOVE architecture and urbanism ZT GmbH
Jakoministraße 3–5 / Top B03, 8010 Graz, Austria