Arbutus

Angled to balance privacy and frame views, the monumental walls comprising six-metre-high blades orchestrate a dramatic play of light and shade on both the façade and internal spaces. In this context, void and shadow are considered part of the overall architectural expression. This is compounded by concrete, which has been detailed as though it were a precious material, that traverses the project to dissolve barriers between inside and out.

Enclosing the main space, substantial 2.4 x 6m sliding doors push the limits of the home’s proportions. As such, the contemporary landscape and buildings are dramatically played as a contrast to the traditional Victorian architecture of the original house, which the design allows to remain grand and surrounded by space and lawn.

Meanwhile, the new garden pavilion adds another dimension to the home. The dramatic double-height living space includes a cinema, guitar room, spa and gym, all while serving as a comfortable guest house for friends and family. A subterranean passage connects the garden pavilion to the main house, and while new and old have different styles, they are united through skilful craftsmanship and attention to detail, each representing the architecture of their time.

Concave and convex walls have been used to join various angles to create sculptural, unforgettable rooms. These spaces celebrate the beauty of concrete as an integral, continuous, textured material that comes to life with natural light. Careful placement of windows at the end of corridors, on the sides of curves or under floating ceilings in the main room amplifies the play of light and reinforces the celebration of concrete throughout the home, where it is used for walls and ceilings. That said, the austerity of this singular materiality is softened when combined with light grey travertine floors and stained walnut stairs and joinery.

The landscape, developed in collaboration with Dangar Barin Smith, mixes native with exotic species to create a beautiful, contemporary Sydney environment. Enveloping the 100-metre-long perimeter walls, the landscaping has been designed to enhance privacy and conceal the new structures from the street. In doing so, the architecture is free to be distinct from the neighbourhood and have an unapologetic geometric aesthetic: as a modern version of a classically proportioned pavilion.

Importantly, these “Landscape Buildings” do not compete with the Victorian house. Instead, they take a subservient position in the architectural hierarchy of the site by being built into the earth as a raw unadorned aesthetic. This is further compounded by the new buildings being covered with lawn as a curtilage to the house, which imparts the feeling of a resort in the city. Moreover, the building’s low profile reinstates harbour views lost by the site’s previous subdivision.

2021 Commendation AIA NSW Architecture Award Interior Architecture