When a new house is so drastically different to its neighbours, it’s sure to attract attention, invite intrigue, become a landmark – an icon even. Small House, located on a steep hillside in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, is one such house. Designed and built by Gold Coast practice Studio Workshop, the spacious 1.5-bedroom house is formed with concrete and clad with a dynamic timber screen that balances beauty and practicality, malleability and solidity. “It was a response to the climate, site, quality and capability of local labour, and the longevity of materials,” says Rory Spence, director of Studio Workshop.
Small House is home to an Australian expatriate who has lived in the region for 30 years, and it is the first of three structures to be built on the…