Nic Brunsdon: Director, Jess Priemus: Artistic Director Bijten are concerned with a holistic, collaborative process; innovative design without pretext. All problems are tackled back to first principles and explored contextually. We aim for elegant simplicity. Subtlety. Quiet and assured architecture. Bijten was established in 2006 by Nic Brunsdon and Jess Priemus as an open studio and currently operate out of the disused storage space above a pub. Bijten are currently very busy and would like to stay that way. Nic Brunsdon is a registered Architect and honours graduate from Curtin University. Jessica Priemus is an Interior Designer and honours graduate from RMIT.
A competition entry for the redevelopment of the lobby and landscape of BHP House, Melbourne. By blocking out many of the surrounding elements, the city is taken out of context in an attempt to capture the attention of the inhabitants. Fragmented black marble walls within the interior now reflect the sky and the site itself. The site directs views to the sky using itself as a reference point. Now desensitised to BHP House and its modernist aesthetic, the inhabitants are now unavoidably reminded of its existence.
A retail interior based on the bag brand 'Clive'. The interior seeks to mimic the corporate branding while promoting active engagement with the customer.
A modern interpretation of a beach house. Living spaces are located in the shade behind an abstracted tree canopy. The relocation of all primary space to the first floor creates usable outdoor areas underneath the house. The timber shingle wall is pinched in the middle to allow maximum all-day sun-penetration to the open ground floor.
Couch Cover-Up, 'Making Do' Catalogue, Exhibited index06 Intended as a product for retail, the Couch Cover-Up provides the user with an affordable way to transform an old sofa into an ideal but financially unobtainable piece of designer furniture. The 'Making Do' catalogue is a satirical yet fond view of our interior ideals, and critiques the materialism promoted within the 'design' industry.
A third story deck for a Landscaper, Advertister and one-on-the-way. The small proposal incorporates the 3 disparate end-users and ties them together as one unit.
An tight inner-city residence. Events are inserted along the natural path for the slow unravelling of space. A small house seems larger.
A set of hypothetical explorations given to close friends. They are autonomous studies for and of each recipient.
A family home in Ivanhoe. A rectangle is carved by site demands of light, privacy, programme, landscape. A site and client specific sculpture results.
Projected Wealth, 'Making Do' Catalogue, Exhibited index 06 Using a projector, transform an old chair into an ideal but financially unobtainable piece of designer furniture. The 'Making Do' catalogue is a satirical yet fond view of our interior ideals, and critiques the materialism promoted within the 'design' industry.
The RGB screen responds to a site, expressing a varietY of light and shadow, additive colour and subtractive colour, and an ever changing visual geometry. The screen is static, but its form moves during the day. Its physical form is a result of the site dynamics and an exploration of theatrical movement of light and colour.
Laminated Stool, 'Making Do' Catalogue, Exhibited index 06, Published www.designboom.com A timber crate, 'laminated' with Laminex samples. An experiment in using free and readily available materials, that can be mimicked by anyone. The result is ironically useless, as the material sample holds none of the important qualities which make a laminate popular. The 'Making Do' catalogue is a satirical yet fond view of our interior ideals, and critiques the materialism promoted within the 'design' industry.
A visually subjugated site in the inner-city. A pavillion is attached to the rear of the existing residence providing improved ammenity. This pavillion is then draped in a perforated metal 'tablecloth' that by its material nature allows views to the exterior while preventing any interior surveilance. The observed is now the observer.