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Perth Girls School is a magnificent 1930's Art Deco gem perched on high on the hill at the heart of East Perth. Recently re-opened to the public in partnership with Artrage, the Girls School has provided an exciting new dimension to the cultural opportunities with the winter Cinema program and growing role as a Perth Fringe Festival hub. This role will evolve further as the Girls School grows into an exciting new destination complete with additional entertainment, food and retail amenity, ready to support the first onsite residents in a range of exciting apartment living options.

First visiting the Lake House in 2014 is one of my most vivid memories of my time with Open House Perth. My husband and fellow Open House founder, Stephen Corns, made sure we made the time. This home embodies a lot of our personal beliefs in good design - that its not about the amount of space, but the quality. When we arrived late in the afternoon we were taken aback by the large number of people lining up to see the house, and we soon found out that over 1200 people had already seen it. I was overcome with emotion that so many West Australian's had an affinity with the great design and ideas driving this project - and was incredibly lucky to have its talented architect Jonathan Lake nearby for a hug. It was one of the early moments I felt that Open House Perth had an important role to play in helping people better understand good design thru experience - which was everything I had hoped for it since the beginning. Thanks to Jonathan and his family for allowing us the pleasure of opening this amazing house on a few occasions. words by Carly Barrett

Popularly known as the Space Invader House, Florence Street was part of our very first event all the way back in 2012. It's been incredible to see how the work by Klopper Davis Architect's has evolved over the year, but as part of our very first event this one will always have a special place in my heart. Confession time... I never had a chance to see it. I was so busy in the early days I hardly got to see our great spaces and this is one of those amazing fish that got away. One of the things that is so special about this particular project is its urban setting and tight footprint. Not only is it a great example of an inner-city family house that has room for everything including a backyard, trampoline and a pool but its a testament to the enduring talent of Klopper Davis Architects who have managed to be involved in every year of Open House Perth. Words by Carly Barrett

The design response for this Coogee beach house was to the detach the housing module from the row of townhouses and push it to the street boundary. This move allowed Gresley Abas to create a private cloistered courtyard garden space, defined by steel portal frames and planting trellises, that make this space an integral part of the dwelling. The house then leans forward to the north to capture the ocean views whilst being protected from the unrelenting freo doctor. The internal planning inverts traditional spatial arrangements, favouring the placement of the open living/kitchen space on the upper level to integrate ocean views into everyday living whilst providing a generous connection to the courtyard. Circulation through the house is fluid around the central cabinetry core, and floor to ceiling glazing on the north and west facade give the house a very generous sense of space and light.