Location	Castlecrag, Sydney NSW
Type	Alterations and additions to an existing residential dwelling
Size	474m2
Status	DA Approved

Description

Prioritising ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ this project takes away, in order to give back. A previously dark, sprawling, disorientating and unwelcoming property is transformed into an uplifting, legible and welcoming home that celebrates its location.

A ‘gap’ is carved through the very heart of the site, removing existing, poor quality built-form that compromised both an original two storey villa to the east, and an elevated tennis court to the west. This new central axis offers connection to the wider context, legibility of built components retained, and allows daylight to penetrate deep into the heart of the new home.

Having formed the ‘gap’ it is then filled, in part, with abundant planting, part of a wider strategy that sees floor area reduced by 20% to be replaced with increased onsite landscaping. Both within the central axis and throughout, pockets of planting are interspersed and at varying levels, to enhance biodiversity and ensure daylight, greenery and connection to the exterior, are never far away.

In conjunction with the planting, a new stone seam runs centrally through the ‘gap’, connecting, consolidating and defining new spaces within the home and site. Dark bluestone forms a singular intervention; a pedestrian approach that descends from the street, into the newly created void, before continuing into the new home. At once pedestrian route, planter, seating, stairs and floor finish, its stratified layers transform into vertical walls, forming a backdrop to pockets of vibrant planting, before extending outward again to enclose and shelter a new sunken swimming pool.

The ‘gap’ also reveals. Ground levels drop away to expose new primary accommodation located below the retained tennis court. Previous, poor quality below-court accommodation is cleared out, and a series of new columns introduced, creating a more spacious, singular undercroft for residents to inhabit. With daylight now permeating on three sides and abundant planting visible, fully retractable floor to ceiling glazing and flush thresholds see the living space spill out to a generous
north facing terrace, capturing dramatic views across the escarpment and to the harbour beyond.

Above, the existing tennis court is reimagined. New screening balances privacy with porosity as a series of metal discs are fixed to new tensioned mesh, creating a bespoke design that directly responds to the surrounding context, dissipating as it rises, whilst reinforcing the notion of a singular, elevated mass.