After residing in an apartment with their two young children, the owners of this Canberra home were excited to build a house for their next stage of life. They bought a generous Campbell property – drawn to its quiet residential character, large backyard, and rare outlook to the nationally significant Anzac Parade – with plans to create their long-term home shaped around family life, outdoor play, and supporting changing family dynamics over time.

Updating the existing 1960s home on site was originally explored, but the house couldn’t be meaningfully restored due to previous poor renovations. Although a knockdown‑rebuild wasn’t part of the original brief, it became the approach that best unlocked the site’s potential, says Jessica de Rome, architect at de Rome Architects. ‘It allowed the ground floor to be freed up for north-facing living spaces and ample garden, via lifting the bedroom wing to a modest loft-style upper level,’ she adds.

The brief focused on practical desires (at least four bedrooms, a flexible layout, outdoor connections, healthy materials), paired with a reverence for the home’s location facing Anzac Parade. Jessica explains, ‘The site’s civic context was a major influence. The house enjoys a rare view to Anzac Parade and sits directly behind the Parade’s sculpture memorials, hence the architecture needed to be sympathetic to the streetscape. Achieving a reasonably modest site coverage was important in reducing the bulk and scale of the new home.’

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