As a re-sculpting of an existing home to better engage with its surrounds, Poinciana House creates framed portrait-like apertures to connect with the natural elements.  Nestled into an immersive landscape, Poinciana House looks out toward both Toowong and Mt Coot-Tha as dual focal points. While its views are concealed from the entry, they slowly reveal themselves over a journey through the home, where portals direct views out over neighbouring rear gardens. As both a restoration and addition effort, the original home is expanded and overlaid with a new masterplan that better interacts and engages with its site. 

Nielsen Jenkins made landscape and natural elements the focus of his design, ensuring openings supported this conversation beyond the architecture formed an important part of the brief. The design studio references the surrounding and typified Queenslander homes to proposesa unique interpretation of what living in such a climate can be, pushing the boundaries on what is expected.

Dropping away to the rear, the home navigates a steeply sloping site as the form grows and reaches deeper lengthways. From street level, the form almost aligns, and from there it changes as it drops to align with the terrain. On approach, an embedded privacy reinforces a sense of enclosure for the residents, while access to private outdoor spaces act as a relief to the overall form.

Throughout, curated and differing garden areas support the built form and create moments of pause. A careful replanning of the home lowers the living level down to the ground level, to allow a better connection to the site and these various outdoor settings – responding thoughtfully to its previously disconnected location on the upper level.