an interview with an emerging architect and mum in her home
Who are you and what do you do
I'm Shannon Battisson, architect and mum to two delightful kids
Molly and Gus. I own a boutique architecture company called The
Mill: Architecture + Design, we specialise residentially in high
end environmental housing. We build housing that requires next to
no energy for heating and cooling, and we specialise in solar
passive architecture. So, it's basically architecture that uses
everything that's freely available from the climate, so that your
reliance on external things like mechanical heating and cooling is
really minimal.
Tell me about the history of the home
The house originally belonged to my husband's grandparents, they
built it when Downer was first developed in the 60's. It was handed
down to us about 10 years ago, and it has been our family home
since then.
What's your favourite spot in the home
This space here [the lounge] is my favourite. I had both of my
babies in winter, so I'd light the fire and sit here in the sun,
Molly would play on the rug and I'd be holding Gus. The sun really
floods in and you can see the happenings of the street without
having to feel completely exposed. It was a really beautiful calm
but warm and happy place to be, so this particular space here is my
favourite.
Have you renovated the space if so what did you
change
We've renovated quite extensively. When we inherited the home, it
had an energy rating that was in the minus, so we stripped all of
the plaster board out so that we could insulate it and we were able
to bring the rating up to just under 3 stars. We've put in a new
kitchen, repainted, added new carpet and new wardrobes so that the
home had more of the modern conveniences. We also removed all of
the asbestos from the bathroom, toilet and laundry and have added
new fittings.
What's your favourite memory that's taken place in this
house
I'd say it's bringing both kids home from the hospital here and
being the place where we became a family.
What does 'home' mean to you
I guess I spend a lot of time thinking through home and working
with clients to find out what home means to them. I think at the
moment in society we've lost touch of the fact that home means
something a little different to everyone. I think life is really
busy so home is about coming back to a place where you can relax
and welcome your family and your friends, and for it to be a really
nice safe and calm space. One of the things people always told us
about this house was that people always said that they felt
instantly welcome here, that it was very much a relaxed family
home.
features
.lovingly renovated family home
.premium location in a leafy street
.lovely fron...
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