Location: Castle Cove, Australia.

Architect: TERROIR.

The history of single-family houses in Sydney has been marked by an evolving approach to the relationship between the landscape and residential house design. This has been particularly evident in the steep and spectacular landscapes around the inner harbor, where houses have been designed to take advantage of the site and the climate. The Castle Cove project is located in one of these classic Sydney contexts, where the sandstone geology informs the design of a concrete shell that steps around outcrops and contours to create an indeterminate form that is distinctively new but also could be a strange object ‘unearthed’ in excavation.

The concrete escarpment is roofed in a continuous zinc membrane that folds over to form a smaller pocket to the rear containing private rooms. The primary gesture of the concrete shell is counterpointed by the means of occupying the house through a series of crafted timber linings that enable the occupation of this concrete landscape with a spirit and glamour reminiscent of the California’s mid-century houses. The linings are further embellished with a number of steel, brass, and mirror inserts that serve to mentally expand the scale of the building and intensify the relation between the occupants and landscape. The strong connection to place has also led to passive house strategies embedded in and intertwined through the form of the structure. The basement acts as a cold sink that allows for cool air to be constantly drawn through the main living spaces via floor vents and operable skylights purposely tilted north to draw heat and assist in the convection process. Combined with cross ventilation, generous overhangs, thermal mass, double glazing with internal and external blinds, and a hydronic underfloor heating system, these passive strategies have produced a thermally stable environment for the occupants that requires little active power consumption.

Photo credit: Brett Boardman.