Australian architect David Boyle chose recycled brick for this renovation and extension of a psychologist’s house in Sydney, which creates a double-height living room, a mezzanine bedroom and a home office.
On a tight urban block in Bondi Junction, this addition to a small workers cottage aims to make the most of this heavily constrained site. A 10m high wall along the rear boundary limits access to sunlight, aspect and space. Planning controls require new structures be concealed from the street and below the ridge line leaving little room for additional building footprint and mass.
A mezzanine bedroom and bathrooms are tightly arranged around a side courtyard. A new living space built to both side boundaries make the most of the 5m wide site and open out to a partly covered paved terrace and adjoining kitchen wing. The central living space is the key to the house. The 4.3m ceiling adds much needed internal volume and cross ventilation. A high pitched skylight extends the ceiling a further 1.8m providing a northern window high enough to receive direct sunlight in winter deep into the house. The material palette is simple and robust and blurs the boundaries between inside, outside and adjoining structures. A retained tall palm tree becomes the focal point in the garden. The planning affords flexibility for use for our client’s psychology practice where clients can reflect prior to the session.
