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House tour: Award-winning timber-clad home

On a subdivided plot just 7.2 metres wide, designing a spacious, private home was always going to be a challenge. However builder Phil Lovell, of Lawson and Lovell Building Services achieved just that and more, winning the Master Builders Award ($800,001-to-$1 million category) for his stunning house in Sydney’s northern beaches.

Home to Phil, his wife Emma and their two young children, the compact site overlooks the beach suburb of Manly. Timber takes real centre stage, with the spotted gum cladding and ceiling the stand out features. “Entering through the grand, timber-panelled front door you immediately get a feeling of space and light,” explains Emma. “Your eyes are then drawn upwards, through the light well, revealing further use of timber panelling on the ceiling of the top floor.”

Further complementing the design is the use of a steel framed, timber-clad beam at the front of the building, which stretches out appearing to float above the building. “One of my favourite details is the structural steel,” says Emma. “It’s a detail that we worked on with the architects and the engineer to come up with, and possibly a detail that a lot of people wouldn’t recognise.”

Designed by Mark Korgul and Evan Howard from Watershed Design, alongside interior designer Annie Benjamin, Phil and Emma required an open plan kitchen, three bedrooms and a home office. The design also had to have plenty of natural light, but maximum privacy. “The site required careful consideration during design with regard to neighbouring apartment blocks,” explains Emma. “The orientation of windows and some frosted glazing overcame this issue. It’s also south facing, so consideration to natural light was paramount. This was overcome with high level windows and the use of voids and stairwell windows.”

With design continuity throughout the home, the lounge area is separated from the open-plan kitchen and dining area by a timber-panelled wall. The state-of-the-art kitchen is finished with stainless steel and gas appliances, a Caesarstone island benchtop and sleek cabinetry. Downstairs, all bedrooms are generously sized, with the master featuring solid timber-framed sliding doors that lead to an enclosed garden; while on the ground level a secure double garage, sizeable home office and another bathroom, complete with shower and internal laundry finish off the home.

More on Lawson and Lovell Building Services | Other house tours

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Designers

Woods Bagot Sydney co-working space voted world’s best office

Paramount by The Office Space was recognised as the best designed workplace in the world at the highly anticipated World Festival of Interiors (INSIDE) awards recently, where architectural firm Woods Bagot took home top honours in the office category. Located in an iconic heritage-listed, beautiful Art Deco building in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, the stunning project had some tough competition – it was one of a total of 63 submissions that were shortlisted across nine categories.

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Foyer and concierge

With its spectacular use of joinery and masculine yet elegant vibe, the judges were forthcoming with praise. “The project is a paradigm shift for co-working which achieved a high-quality outcome rarely seen before. It also represents a refreshing contrast in office design, where highly crafted spatial, detailing and materiality strategies have been composed with an old world dignity,” said the judges.

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Meeting place

On hand to accept the coveted award was Woods Bagot director Domenic Alvaro alongside his clients and collaborators Boris and Naomi Tosic. “The World Festival of Interiors is the epitome of the global architecture and design forum. Winning this award demonstrates the success of entwining integrated design, the client’s ambitions and the craft of the maker into one narrative,” says Domenic, who accepted the award in Berlin.

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Office space

Aside from its sumptuous yet functional design, the project’s pioneering work in the co-working office space contributed to the win. “Ultimately the space has enhanced the work behaviours and attitudes of the tenants. Paramount has a decidedly modern feel – its innovative use of space and form coupled with an impeccable level of personal service and business support takes it to the forefront of office design. The result is a less transient, more stable and deeply authentic workplace grounded in human experience,” says Domenic.

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The building’s iconic exterior

Click here for more information on The Office Space and here to check out more from Woods Bagot.

Photography: Trevor Mein

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Competitions Designers

Sydney development wins a World Architecture Festival award

Taking out a top gong at the largest and most prestigious architectural award, the World Architecture Festival (WAF), Sydney’s inner west development Casba has been recognised on the global stage.

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Winning first prize for mixed use completed building, the award celebrates Casba as a leading example of how to balance urban renewal with respect to changing demographics and population growth.

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Designed by SJB in collaboration with BLP, with interiors by BKH and developed by Cornerstone Property Group; Casba is situated on Danks Street, Waterloo, in what is now a foodie and art lovers haven but was once an area dominated by light industry.

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Casba references the warehouse typology of the precinct without displaying a direct, kitsch relationship. “With Casba we wanted to honour the established grain and texture of the Waterloo location, but we had to balance heritage considerations of this former warehouse precinct with the growing expectations of inner city living environments,” says Adam Haddow, director of SJB Sydney.

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Comprising of 65 residential dwellings and 3,000 sqm of retail space, to achieve good urban renewal, Casba was conceived around three guiding elements: a communal, publicly accessible courtyard, a pedestrian link throughout the site and active street edges.

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The design approach was to start with the round-the-clock, publicly accessible, internal courtyard or cloister. To inject character to the public realm of the development and also reference the heritage of the original warehouses, recycled bricks were used in the cloister and throughout. Residential buildings were made of brick and painted white, providing a quiet and restrained backdrop to the residential environment within.

“As our cities grow and the demand for housing options increases, it’s essential that developments not only contribute to the built environment, but also contribute to the society,” says David Leece, director of BLP. “We have an obligation to create places people want to not only sleep and relax, but also connect with their community. We hope we achieved this with Casba.”

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