‘Feels like a treehouse’: Glebe Studio

Cleverly navigating the constraints of a tightly hemmed Sydney site, this flexible laneway studio demonstrates the versatility and appeal of small-scale living.

As the design and build of this secondary dwelling in Sydney’s inner-western suburb of Glebe progressed, the intended occupants changed. The initial brief asked for a separate self-contained home for the client’s grandmother that was flexible enough to be used as rental accommodation. However, the clients’ needs changed as the project developed, and they now plan to move in when their teenage children leave home. Being adaptable for different occupants is part of the versatility and appeal of secondary dwellings and small-scale living, as inner-suburban homeowners increasingly transform underutilized spaces at the rear of their properties. “The house has potential for many lives, which is the challenge and opportunity of the design,” says Monika Proepper, director of Proepper Architects.

The building is located on the sixty-square-metre footprint of the existing carport and has an independent entrance from the rear laneway. It sits within a local government heritage conservation area and there are diverse architectural styles in close proximity, including heritage-listed buildings from the 1800s and early 1900s, as well as 1960s apartment blocks and more recent townhouses. The form of the dwelling was designed to respect and fit this diverse context. The asymmetric gable mimics the pitch and ridgeline of a former stable building (now residential) two doors down, and the 2.5-storey height mediates the stable and single-storey garage to the west and the four-storey apartment block to the east. The footprint also aligns with the stable building and, built to the boundaries, the studio bookends the corner of the laneway.

Uniformly clad in prefinished panels, the small building has a robust and resilient street presence.

Uniformly clad in prefinished panels, the small building has a robust and resilient street presence.

Image: Katherine Lu

The clients wanted a robust and secure building to minimize maintenance and mollify concerns about safety at night. Clad in prefinished panels, it presents a strong and resilient facade. At night, the entrance door is softly lit and the house glows from within, illuminating the end of the lane. A staircase leads up to the dwelling, where the double-height volume maximizes the use and feeling of space. Living space on the first floor is designed to be adaptable and multifunctional, and a mezzanine level beneath the gable keeps the interior as open as possible. A laundry is concealed behind cupboard doors at the top of the stairs. The kitchen and bathroom are tucked beneath the mezzanine and a covered balcony occupies the south-east corner.

As the building is built boundary to boundary, the side walls needed to be fire-rated and without windows. And because the clients’ house is behind, the rear facade needed to offer privacy. The challenge, therefore, was how to bring in natural light and ventilation. Steel-framed, perforated bi-fold shutters allow light inside while screening the interior from the laneway, translucent polycarbonate on the north-facing wall diffuses light (and provides privacy from and for the client), and four skylights above the mezzanine bring in light throughout the day. Louvre windows on each side of the polycarbonate wall can be opened in the laundry, bathroom and mezzanine for natural cross-ventilation, and the bathroom mirror is cleverly angled to allow a view of the bamboo planted outside while maintaining privacy. Operable skylights flush out hot air, and a mesh-wire balustrade around the mezzanine and a slide-down window above the balcony retain airiness and openness.

Perforated shutters allow access to light while screening the interior from the laneway.

Perforated shutters allow access to light while screening the interior from the laneway.

Image: Katherine Lu

Monika designed the living area with foldable, movable furniture that can be adapted for purpose and occasion. The mezzanine is accessed via a stair that retracts sideways and can be pressed against the wall to increase living space. Storage is integrated into plywood joinery that also serves as the balustrades. Stage-two joinery will be built before the clients move in, including additional storage as well as folding panels that will function as a stand-up desk along one wall.

Internal materials are durable, low-maintenance, economical and light. The concrete-look prefinished panels continue around the corners of the balcony, creating a sense of being outdoors; the grey tiles in the bathroom, with their similar colour and texture, also evoke this feeling. The plywood joinery in the bathroom provides warmth and colour, and integrates storage without imposing on the space. A rainwater tank is connected to the laundry and additional solar panels on the main house power the secondary dwelling.

While the form of Glebe Studio is contained and enclosed for privacy, safety and size, it feels open, spacious and airy. The interior is bathed in light as the sun moves throughout the day and the exterior helps enliven and illuminate the laneway. With a view of the sky, the neighbouring trees and bamboo shadows outside the polycarbonate wall, the dwelling feels like a treehouse. It transforms underutilized space into an adaptable and desirable home for a variety of occupants and is an example of the versatility and appeal of small-scale living.

Products and materials

Roofing
Lysaght roofing in Colorbond ‘Wallaby’; CSR Bradford insulation
External walls
Cemintel Barestone External prefinished panels; Danpal Danpalon Multicell polycarbonate; perforated Barestone panels by Keystone
Windows
Wideline anodized aluminium windows; Brio folding door hardware
Doors
Brio sliding door track; B and D Madrid garage door in Colorbond ‘Wallaby’; Cavity Slider sliding doors in Dulux ‘White on White’
Flooring
Blackbutt timber flooring in Synteko Classic floor finish
Lighting
Tec LED linear pendant light and Winged Micro light
Kitchen
Custom birch plywood joinery and benchtop from DMK Forest Products by All Things Cupboard; Mirastar splashback; Posh Solus mixer from Reece; Esatto bar fridge; Artusi cooktop and oven; Abey sink
Bathroom
Caroma Liano wall basin; Mizu Drift tapware from Reece; Caroma Urbane Compact Invisi Series toilet; Colortile tiles in ‘Uptown Silver’; custom birch plywood joinery from DMK Forest Products in Osmo Polyx-Oil ‘Satin-Matt’ finish by All Things Cupboard
External elements
Planter by 2257 Horticultural Services
Other
Bcompact folding stairs; steel balustrade and framing by Artisan Steelworks; Boconcept armchair, dining chairs, table and floor lamp; Tait Volley Rocker

Credits

Project
Glebe Studio by Proepper Architects with Angela Rheinlaender
Architect
Proepper Architects
Project Team
Monika Proepper
Co-designer
Angela Rheinlaender
Consultants
Builder Green Envy Landscape and Garden Services
Certifier East Coast Certification
ESD Integreco Consulting
Engineer Cantilever Consulting Engineers
Heritage consultant Julie Mackenzie
Lighting Architectural Lighting Design
Steel fabricator Artisan Steelworks
Aboriginal Nation
Glebe Studio is built on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation
Site Details
Location Sydney,  NSW,  Australia
Site type Suburban
Site area 342 m2
Building area 53 m2
Project Details
Status Built
Completion date 2018
Design, documentation 36 months
Construction 13 months
Category Residential
Type Alts and adds

Source

Project

Published online: 26 Nov 2021
Words: Rebecca Gross
Images: Katherine Lu

Issue

Houses, February 2020

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