The four-bedroom family home is set on a site remarkable for its proximity to the Lane Cove River, beautiful sandstone cliff and large jacaranda. The ambition was to create a contiguous garden space with the neighbouring sites and position the new dwelling to optimise views. Sleeping, living and garaging are split – sleeping above the cliff line at the top, garage off a lane at the bottom, and living on a broad constructed garden plateau in-between. The sectional strategy reveals the cliff and shields the garden from the street. There are three distinct material choices that correspond with the discrete building elements – a steel plate entry box and bridge, a timber clad sleeping wing that floats across the site, and a concrete living element that opens directly to a raised garden plateau. Here a relaxed domestic setting is created around the jacaranda tree, garden room and pool.

Featured in:
Interior Design Close Up by Dominic Bradbury
Houses Issue 79
Architecture Bulletin: NSW Architecture Awards 2010 Special Annual Edition