The Bow Window Penthouse | Luigi Rosselli Architects

Flying High Over Bondi

In a first for Luigi Rosselli Architects the camera has left the ground to pan over the penthouse additions to a classic Art Deco style apartment block built in the late 1920s.  The penthouse’s defining feature is a bow window in the corner of the building facing the intersection of the street that reaches out to create a dialogue with the passers-by in the avenue below.  The bow window is also reminiscent of windows found in the Captain’s Quarters at the stern of historic ships; borrowing from naval architecture was appropriate for the seaside location of Bondi Beach.  The penthouse is separated from the existing brick unit block by a concrete slab and spandrel, this is a fire protection requirement.  A wave of metal roofing conceals the upper level of the penthouse from the street.  The wave dovetails towards the view, culminating in a balcony, of which two were designed but only one was allowed by the Council.