Twin Houses / JOHN ELLWAY. ARCHITECT

Located about 6.5km from the city centre, the middle-ring of suburb of Tarragindi contains mainly 1950-60s asbestos-clad post-war housing built on large lots. Pre-1946 housing stock in the Brisbane inner-city generally can't be demolished, so developers have moved to this middle ring of suburbs taking advantage of the opportunity to infill and densify. The client, who is not a developer, wanted to try their hand at an infill project as an investment opportunity. Admirably, they were happy to take a different approach to the cookie-cutter McMansion-type infill typical of the area. One that could be simple, repeatable, prioritise landscape, and give future owners the opportunity to adapt.