PERTH: Infinity Views, a stunning, multi-million-dollar Perth home by John LeClare Josephs of Superseed Architecture, has won the Design Matters National Building Design Award for Building Design of the Year (WA) 2021.
Described as a symphony of architectural design, engineering, specification, and Master Builder craftsmanship, Infinity Views was also awarded Best New House over $3M (WA). The dual-win was announced at last night’s glittering Annual Awards cocktail party at the WA Museum Boola Bardip.

Local celebrity MC Holly McSweeney hosted the evening in front of a room filled with Design Matters National Members, their guests, VIPs, and major sponsors.
In awarding the grand prize, the judges described the winning project as: “A very deserving home which will stand the test of time and everything an award-winning home should be”.

DMN Member, John LeClare Josephs of Superseed Architecture, was delighted to accept the Award and said Infinity Views looked, from the street, like a modest, single-storey home however, on further investigation, the scale and site
of the stunning residence, which is perched in a niche in a limestone cliff, became very apparent. Mr. Josephs set out to optimise the stunning location, utilise construction techniques and detail reflecting the builder’s skillset, maximise habitable space, and create a bespoke yet sensitive family home which spoke of the landscape and site context, juxtaposing the surrounding traditional forms. Residents experience the surrounding landscape from the moment they come home, from every room because the residence is separated into two clear volumes in the plan, joined by transparent sun halls, providing a clear vision right through the residence. The form of the two volumes has subtle curves and angles, clad in teak, to meld them into the adjoining landscape, creating the view angles from every habitable space.

The Judges remarked on the project’s skilfully-designed layout and clever engineering and construction, by Peter Capozzi of Capozzi Building, which maximised what could have been achieved on the extremely logistically complex site, with a 13m difference from top to bottom, including a seven-metre sheer drop and extremely difficult soil conditions. Inspired by the curves of the Swan River below, the textural quality of the surrounding landscape, and with design cues derived from luxury yachts, the form of this stunning Perth residence is fluid, with almost no standard right-angle geometry. Instead, the form of the building is a series of angled walls and curved junctions, the shape of the spaces informed by maximising the views, whilst creating a sense of privacy and serenity. Also taking inspiration from Le Corbusier’s Piloti system, Infinity Views is partially raised on columns, and the driveway suspended, letting the form of the residence itself create massive amounts of covered space. The oversized timber wall construction and teak cladding allowed for massive weight reductions, whilst greatly increasing energy efficiency, allowing the suspension of two floors over, and the creation of cantilevers. The structure faces west, with massive, glazed openings and large volumes, as required for the incredible views and site optimisation.

ABOUT DESIGN MATTERS NATIONAL:
Design Matters National (DMN) is a leading national professional body for 2,500+ Building Designers, Architects, and related industry professionals. The association was formed in 1983, as the BDAV, and in late 2020 DMN amalgamated with the BDAWA. DMN Members share a passion for better design and sustainability across the Built Environment.

The peak body supports Members through networking, education mentoring, and government advocacy programs Australia-wide. DMN works closely with federal, state, and local governments to ensure the quality of building design is maintained at the highest professional and ethical standards.

ABOUT THE DMN BUILDING DESIGN AWARDS:
The first Building Design Awards were held in 1996, attracting 50 entries. In 2021, the Awards have grown to become some of the most important and sought-after accolades among built environment professionals. The purpose of the Awards is to inspire building designers and architects to take building
design to the next level. The Awards acknowledge good building design in the state of Western Australia, across the categories of residential and non-residential (both new homes and alterations and additions); environmentally
sustainable design; excellence in materials usage; and emerging student designers. The judges of the Awards are respected building designers and architects, many of whom have previously been honoured with an Award. The major sponsors of the 2021 Awards are James Hardie, AWS, CSR Bradford, Webber Insurance, Metroll, Weathertex, Bluescope Colorbond and HomeBase.

To see all images of Infinity Views, click here.
For an interview with John LeClare Josephs of Superseed Architecture, please contact Danielle Johnston. For more information about DMN Award Winners, please contact Danielle Johnston.

MEDIA CONTACT: Danielle Johnston, Design Matters National, 0408379019
d.johnston@designmatters.org.au

JUDGES OF THE 2021 WA & NT DMN BUILDING DESIGN AWARDS:
Alex Smeu, Longfield Designs
Andrew Abercrombie, Serneke Australia
Jacopo Bonomi, Essenziale
Jason Saunders, Arc Seven.1
John Chisholm, John Chisholm Design
Mark Barker, Meyer Shircore & Associates
Shayne Le Roy, Shayne Le Roy Design
Shelly Dival, Enabling Spaces
Susanne Lindstrom-Wilson, Coastline Design & Drafting
Wen-Chi Tseng, Arc T-Lab