Our client wanted a house that would add positively to the streetscape and connect the occupants to this rich and varied context while also providing a private and secluded inner world. It was to be a modern house beautifully crafted with excellent materials and finish but with an ancient air.
The plan of the three-level house with its wide central hallway, inner courtyard and double-height verandah to the north, gives visual transparency and connection to the rich surrounds, allows cross-ventilation, and offers protection from sun and rain. But most importantly it allows a real sense of enclosure and privacy.
Although Elizabeth Bay is full of fine brick buildings the choice of brick was driven primarily by the aim to build a structure of a timeless quality that would weather and age with dignity.The primary architectural elements that define the house are insulated 320 mm-thick loadbearing brick walls comprising two leaves of 110 mm brickwork separated by 50 mm of insulation and a 50 mm cavity.They provide thermal mass and visual and acoustic privacy and have a visual weight and density that defines rooms both inside and out. Importantly, their warmth, colour and character complement the other building materials and details.