Canberra couple Jared Calnan and Amy Kominek purchased the 462-square-metre block, located in Ainslie's Wakefield Gardens, in 2019 from the ACT government.

The original house, part of a dual occupancy, had already been demolished in the government's asbestos buyback scheme, giving the pair a blank canvas on which to build their home.

But there were some strict guidelines they had to abide by when designed and building the property.

"Being part of the Wakefield Gardens heritage precinct it had a lot of restrictions in not only the size of the block but also what you could do with the block," Mr Calnan said.

"Some of the restrictions were that it had to be single-storey, it had to be brick, had to be a maximum of 127 square metres. It had to have a terracotta tiled roof as well."

The couple engaged Adelaide-based architecture studio Sans Arc for the design, which had to also be sympathetic to the character of the original houses in the precinct and maintain the appearance of a detached family house.

The finished product is a bright, open and functional home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space.

It's one of 15 homes shortlisted in the heritage category of the national Houses Awards, which will be announced on July 29.

The Ainslie home centres around an atrium with glass walls, which brings loads of natural light into the space without taking up valuable floor space.

"It was challenging to offer good natural ventilation, natural light and an openness to balance its compact nature, something the previous house did not do well," Mr Calnan said.

CANBERRA HOUSE TOURS:

"The central courtyard idea also allowed the house to feel wider and larger without contributing to the plot ratio as there is no roof [on the courtyard].

"The result we think is warm and playful, while keeping in context with the surrounding heritage neighbours."

The design also includes hidden storage for maximum functionality, Ms Kominek said.

"Functionality was a really important aspect and it's something that, particularly in Canberra houses, it's not always thought about," she said.

"We've come from a small one-bedroom apartment where your laundry was in your kitchen ... and we really liked that aspect of having that closed off in a house - you don't need a whole room for a laundry.

"So we sort of incorporated that into the design and put it into just a cupboard within the back of the house. And then hiding cupboards behind curtains and things like that, so it looks like it's in the wall but you wouldn't know that it's there."

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