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Architects: U+I Building Studio
- Area: 150 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Thilo Pulch - Pulch Photography
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Manufacturers: VELUX Group, It’s Design Furniture, Steel Design Melbourne, Sterland Roofing, Tongue n Groove, VMZINC
Text description provided by the architects. This shop-top-housing project is located on a small back lane in a Heritage Conservation Area in Sydney’s inner-west bustling suburb of Glebe. The new building makes maximum use of the available small site of only 92sqm by extending to all boundaries and pushing the private open space up to the top.
The house draws inspiration from previous centuries european architecture translated into modern details. Internal split levels allow the exterior facade to be broken up and stepped to create a small scale appearance suitable for its location. The zinc roofing is wrapped around as standing-seam wall cladding to the upper floors, while the bottom level dark painted brick grounds the building in its setting.
At street level the self-contained studio with its own kitchen and bathroom provides the opportunity to be rented out separately or live above your own workplace. A 4 meter high ceiling and minimalist material palette of brick and off-form concrete creates an unobtrusive space waiting to be occupied by a creative person
An all concrete staircase leads up to the residential part of the building. The core concrete wall starting at the studio, continues through the bedroom level and finishes in the top floor living room. The material palette that was chosen for the interior consists of concrete, timber, steel and glass, assigning each material its well determined place to provide a modern and uncluttered aesthetic.
The middle level houses the bedroom, robe and bathroom. Building to all boundaries meant restriction with window placements. Therefore operable skylights in the bedroom and bathroom give glimpse of the sky while laying in bed or having a shower and provide ventilation. Also the use of wire glazed steel frame internal doors allows natural light to penetrate to the inner most areas.
Black polished plaster walls have been used to create accent walls in the bathroom.
Light coloured wooden floors continue up the second set of stairs and throughout the top floor main living, dining and kitchen which has been kept open plan. The high ceiling and exposed black steel beams create a dramatic look while at the same time complimenting the floor to ceiling black steel framed windows.
The floating tv shelf merges into a stair that leads over a glass floor landing, which furthermore transfers natural light to the lower floors, out to the roof terrace. Here the high balustrades give total privacy to the occupants and neighbours, whilst allowing views of the surrounding treetops and glimpse of city skyline.
Although appearing compact from the outside the house surprises with space and natural light on the inside. The building expresses its character through the use of materials and is an attempt to tell a coherent tale with a minimum of materials.
