Project Name: Batten House

Location: Curtin, Australia

Design Team: Ben Walker Architects

Total Floor Area: 303 m²

Completion: 2024

Photography: Ben Guthrie

Feature: Ben Walker Architects has created an extraordinary sustainable family residence in Curtin, ACT, founded on the idea of seamless privacy control and environmental integration through innovative operable screening systems. This residence is embodied in the design of the building, forming it into fluid spatial relationships to create harmonious living environments, with strategically positioned large openings arranged around the central courtyard landscape. The design language was derived from the response to the highly visible location adjacent to Yarralumla Creek open space network and public cycleway, helping root the building in its parkland context.

The project's most striking design feature lies in its revolutionary operable timber batten screening system that perfectly embodies ideas of adaptability and environmental responsiveness. The living spaces are seamlessly integrated with the surrounding southern parkland landscape, which allows connection between inside and out, and between human habitation and natural environment. This elegantly functional design is topped off by recycled timber textures and reverse brick veneer construction, further unifying the spaces beneath and blending the building into its natural environment.

Central to the design philosophy is the seamless integration of solar passive design principles and contemporary living comfort. Natural ventilation is provided through the series of solar court incisions achieving climate-responsive design, while spatial flow is enhanced by the dissolution of traditional boundaries between interior and exterior realms. Extensive stepped terraces following natural topography enhance spatial transition, with the nearby parkland's soundscape reducing urban noise by creating a natural acoustic buffer.

Material choices honor environmental responsibility and architectural excellence. Recycled timber and honest materials develop character over time in living finishes, while careful integration with the natural context meant minimal site disruption with new landscaping providing enhanced environmental harmony. Natural lighting is maximized by extensive north-facing highlight windows so that artificial lighting needs are minimized, with all materials being authentic and sustainable, therefore environmentally responsible.

Perhaps most ingeniously, the building design is both timeless and progressive--creating spaces that feel authentically lived-in rather than pristinely manufactured, so the residence represents a new paradigm in Australian residential living. The project represents the transformative power of residential architecture, redefining contemporary living through innovative spatial integration and environmental harmony.

Design Team - Ben Walker Architects stands as a distinguished architectural consultancy that has established an exceptional reputation in residential design innovation. Founded by Ben Walker in 2012 and headquartered in Ainslie, ACT, Australia, under the visionary leadership of Founder and Principal Ben Walker, supported by a diverse team of accomplished architects and designers working across residential, commercial, and urban design projects.

Ben Walker brings exceptional architectural experience from University of Canberra with Bachelor of Architecture (2005) and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (1999), and deep understanding of sustainable design principles to the practice. As a registered architect (ACT No. 2385) and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects since 2022, the firm's design philosophy emphasizes the transformative power of thoughtful, sustainable, and innovative design, drawing inspiration from the unique character of Australian Capital Territory landscapes while embracing the challenges and opportunities of contemporary residential design. Their approach is centered on collaboration--working closely with clients to craft architecture that exceeds expectations, reflects environmental authenticity, and enriches the spaces it inhabits.

The firm's architectural language is founded on the values of rigorous design methodology, buildability innovation, and environmental integration, with Ben Walker Architects integrating multiple disciplines including architecture, planning, urban design, and landscape architecture to deliver cohesive and experientially-focused solutions. By combining architectural vision with advanced project management capabilities and a dedication to sustainable design principles, they create designs that balance beauty, function, and environmental harmony. With a practice culture grounded in design excellence and sustainability commitment, their experienced team ensures every project is both a spatial journey and a lasting legacy--connecting people to places, and places to the natural environment.

Through thoughtful understanding of Australian sustainable design values of environmental responsiveness, buildability, and contextual sensitivity, Ben Walker Architects has established itself as a significant contributor to contemporary Australian architecture, creating architectural works that are both rooted in place and embrace global sustainable design standards. The practice has gained recognition for its commitment to design excellence, ensuring every project is completed to the highest standard of spatial and environmental integration.