1A Hiskens Street

Sorrento VIC 3943

Designed and built by award-winning de Campo Architects, this as-new, insulated precast concrete and double glazed glass home is U-shaped, designed around a courtyard. On one side of the courtyard are the kitchen and living areas together with the main bedroom, en-suite and walk-in robes, guest room and second bathroom. On the other side are the children's bedrooms, third bathroom and a rumpus/television room.

Perhaps the most appealing feature is the spacious open plan living and its versatility, with the courtyard and front garden truly opening up the outdoors and blending seamlessly with the interior. Large sliding doors allow for cross ventilation. Timber-lined messmate ceilings compliment the concrete floors as well as the eaves, ensuring a blurring between the interior and exterior.

Architect Chris de Campo invites us to hypothetically inhabit one of his spaces, and notice that "the sun's not beating on you, you have a nice breeze passing across your cheeks, it smells good, your feet are feeling good, you know where you are, you can hear well... all those things that you don't get from most buildings. That's the litmus test, the building performance"