2015 National Architecture Awards: Residential – Houses (Alterations and Additions)

Walter Street Terrace by David Boyle Architect Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): National Commendation Australian Institute of Architects

Jury citation

This project is a great example of clever design delivering significant architectural benefit to a severely constrained site. It is a narrow, single-storey terrace with a ten-metre-high brick warehouse facade on the northern boundary, so opportunities for light and ventilation were limited. These issues were resolved with carefully positioned light and ventilation wells, a north-facing clerestory reflecting sunlight into the heart of the building, and a long narrow semi-covered courtyard paired with a narrow kitchen that can be opened up to share outdoor space when weather permits. Recycled bricks are incorporated into parts of the interior. Combined with strategically placed highlight windows, which link the internal space to the high northern boundary wall, they visually expand the volume. A step in the original floor level allowed the architect to insert an extra bedroom within the existing roof space. The sense of space, light and warmth that has been created on such a tight site is a credit to the architect’s capacity firstly to imagine the opportunities and secondly to deliver the outcome in such a sophisticated and well-resolved manner.

Credits

Project
Walter Street Terrace
Architect
David Boyle Architect
Pretty Beach, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Project Team
David Boyle
Consultants
Builder Jigsaw Construction
Hydraulic consultant Serrao Smith Consulting Engineers
Landscape consultant Landscapes Unlimited
Structural consultant Targett Engineering
Site Details
Project Details
Status Built
Category Residential
Type New houses

Source

Award

Published online: 5 Nov 2015
Words: National Architecture Awards Jury 2015
Images: Brigid Arnott

Issue

Architecture Australia, November 2015

Related topics

More awards

See all
George Street, Sydney by City of Sydney Winners revealed: 2024 Australian Urban Design Awards

Eleven projects were recognized in this year’s program, including four winners.

Blok Belongil by Blok Modular with Vokes and Peters. The houses shortlisted in the 2024 NSW Architecture Awards

The 36 shortlisted houses include “a love letter to Victorian terraces,” a grand country homestead with an enviable art collection, and an inner-city house “that …

LATEST PRODUCTS