06 Theinteriorisanopen
volume with only one
internal door, yet there
is a sense of something
being hidden around
the corner.
07 Lime-painted bricks
help to achieve a carbon-
neutral status; inside,
the white bricks add
brightness and a
senseofcalm.06
And while she agrees that it’s not usually possible – or responsible –
for architects to e x per iment so boldly on clients’ projec ts, she believes
that the profession needs to demonstrate greater leadership around
housing that is accessible to more people. Backing up their claim, the
couple welcomed more than 2,000 visitors to House A during Open
House Perth in 2017, which had the added benefit of allowing them
to gauge public reactions to their vision.
“I was prepared for people to say they thought it was sterile,
intimidating or that it didn’t fit with the street, but most people
were thrilled by what we have achieved here,” Kate says. “People said
to me: ‘Thank you so much for doing this; this represents a much-
needed change in Perth.’”
With its carbon-neutral status (the couple plans to install solar
panels and storage batteries this year), its economical approach
to spatial planning, choice of sustainable materials (the concrete
contains a high content of recycled slag), and novel approach to
increasing density in the suburbs, the house is both a political
statement and a prototype.
In 2018, Whispering Smith plans to unveil a series of architect-
designed homes to promote that good and sustainable design can
be achievable for all. “If custom-designed houses are our calling
card as architects, we’ve lost the battle already,” Kate says. “We
are dancing a tightrope around doing what’s right and doing
what’s good.”