Frankengray House | CplusC

Castlecrag Residence - Located in the Sydney suburb of Castlecrag this home maintains its original presentation to the street, but is transformed internally from a cellular and inward-looking mid-20th century brick house to a contemporary, open and light-filled home. The natural beauty of timber is fundamental to this dwelling’s transformation which embraces the ideals of Walter Burley Griffin’s design legacy for Castlecrag – “Building for Nature”. The Kitchen is the pivotal room in the home, with Western Red Cedar doors disappearing seamlessly behind recycled brickwork allowing the internal living space to extend to a double-volume outdoor living space where Australian Hardwood decking leads to the garden and swimming pool. The external use of timber for seating, decking, fencing and screening terminates in a garden pavilion and transforms the yard into an intimate, peaceful oasis within a dense suburban context. Both the functional and aesthetic qualities of timber have been drawn upon to heighten the experience of the home, and timber has been utilised in all aspects from structure and cladding, to internal finishes and external amenities. The rough-sawn plywood canopy to the North is stained black and acts a shroud for the first floor, screening the neighbours and focusing the outlook towards the garden. Plywood provides a neutral backdrop that allows the cedar cladding, doors and windows to be the focus of the home. The materiality of this canopy is mirrored in the garden pavilion providing a visual balance.