Neutral Bay House | Downie North Architects

As a traditional semi-detached residence, the house was originally comprised of a series of unrelated rooms and made no connection to its site or outdoor spaces. The new design sought to connect the house with its garden by recreating the rear living space as a large verandah.

By virtue of its planning and careful curation of its openings, the house maximises views, sun, daylight and cross breezes without compromising on privacy; a delicate balancing act in a dense urban environment and where there were overlooking issues from neighbours.

Being very conscious of the location of the house relative to the ocean and the movement of the sun in relation to the site, the roof plane was split to create a light shelf that bounces light deep into the house and allows deep solar penetration in winter but keeps the sun skirting outside the building in summer. The banks of operable clerestory windows flush out hot air by making use of cool ocean breezes. The resulting volume feels both luxurious in its sense of space, yet intimate.