The name Phase Dance comes partly from the architects’ sense that the design process was like a dance; and that the building’s crescent-shaped form brings to the mind the phases of the moon.

While visiting the site a number of times, the architects were drawn to a large orangebark stewartia tree and began searching for a way to leave it standing, so that it could coexist with the architecture. Based on setback regulations and other constraints, the architects calculated that the tree is located near the approximate centre of the area where building was possible, so they moved forward with a design that wraps the house around the tree, giving the latter the space it needs while still allowing for a relationship between ...

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