Robin Boyd Awards

JOHN MAINWARING

Looking west to the rear facade.

Sited in a canal subdivision beside an environmental reserve at Noosa, this house is a dynamic composition of indoor and outdoor rooms arranged over the entire site to establish various experiences and moods appropriate to the semi-tropical climate of one of Australia’s most sophisticated coastal towns. The L-shaped plan shelters the north-facing court and pool from south-east winds, while allowing the indoor living areas and upstairs parents’ zone to benefit from a southern outlook over the canal and bird sanctuary. The design includes numerous louvered screens to modulate sunlight and winds—and combines diverse colours, formal elements and materials with an insouciant attitude.

View of the entrance hall with living zones beyond, courtyard at left and bedrooms at right and upstairs.

Jury Verdict
In making the Robyn Boyd Award, the jury considered the response to regional issues and problems arising from these: eg. types of housing, cultural differences and geographical locations. Appropriate response to place was an important consideration. The entries covered the whole range of residential types, demonstrating that architects are working across the whole spectrum of housing. This project demonstrates an impressive development of an entire residential site. The whole property is incorporated into the house plan, with indoor and outdoor rooms and corridors forming varying degrees of environmental determinancy. The sequence of spaces flows well from the footpath to the entry, right through to the living areas and canal at the rear of the site. The house offers an alternative to the current trend of large, waterfront houses designed as ‘monoliths’. This more fragmented and informal design arises from an understanding of the fundamental qualities of early beach houses.

Looking south-east with the courtyard beyond the pool fence sheltered by the arms of the house.

Images: Mark Ossemer, John Mainwaring.

KEN LATONA

 Street facade. Image: Simon Kenny

This weatherboard worker’s cottage in Woollahra, Sydney, is in the middle of five single-storey Victorian terraces identified by the council as significant to the heritage of the street. All retain the original character of their facades despite replacement roofing, substantial internal alterations and rear additions. In this case, all that remains of the original structure is the front verandah.

These renovations provide 147 sq metres of interior space; arranged on six levels alternated as a response to the small site and to define different zones of activity while maintaining an open layout and visual connections to the back garden. Storage and kitchen cabinetry has been fitted along side walls. On council instructions, the new structure has a gable roof with new skylights and over-sized dormer windows. A fully openable, glazed rear wall links the living zones directly to a large timber deck and the garden.

Looking from the deck to the living zone; storage is built into both side walls. Image: Simon Kenny

Jury Verdict
These alterations to a modest Victorian row house are a confident and commendable answer to difficult conflicts between history and modernity. The house has a consistent and intimate scale and the transition between old and new is handled extremely well.

For such a small site, there is a generosity of space in the house that is genuinely uplifting.

The roof glazing stretching from side to side provides balanced natural light and creates a feeling of warmth to the interiors. The interpretation of spaces, articulated by level changes and the skylight, results in a beautiful interior, fully integrated with the garden courtyard. The siting ensured that a mature Norfolk Island hibiscus was retained and created a serene oasis in a dense part of Sydney.

This house is a model for quiet, peaceful environments in inner city areas.

Looking across the dining area/kitchen and living room to the deck, with mezzanine bedroom above. Image: Simon Kenny