CLAY HOUSEClay House is the transformation of a narrow, late-Victorian terrace in Woollahra, addressing the challenge of bringing light, air and calm into a compact inner-city site just over 4.6 metres wide.
The project is a built manifesto for our clients and their company, LOHAS, suppliers of a wide range of ceramic building materials. Designed for their young family, the brief called for spaces that feel solid, calm and connected to gardens. Instead of collapsing the living areas into a single open plan, as is typical of such renovations, the house unfolds as a sequence of connected rooms, offering a variety of spaces that ultimately make the house feel more generous.
The design is organised as two compact ‘towers’ separated by a central void where a strip of skylights draws natural light deep into the plan and a sculptural, timber clad stair leads to the master bedroom, study, and laundry at the upper level.
Cream roman bricks were chosen as the anchoring element for the material palette for their ability to reflect light into the interior. Closely matched mortar gives the walls a calm, monolithic presence when viewed at a distance, with texture of individual bricks revealed on closer inspection.
A terracotta ceiling constructed using a traditional Spanish bovedilla system introduces rhythm and warmth while reducing concrete volume and construction waste. Timber floors and joinery in Douglas Fir are detailed as simple, sculptural elements.
Throughout, privacy, light and ventilation are carefully balanced. Brick screens upstairs limit overlooking while maintaining outlook, and large openings at ground level connect living spaces to courtyards and gardens.
CREDITSMUCI: Chris Mullaney, Steani Cilliers, Zac Ifield, Gizelle McKinnon
CLIENT / MATERIALS: LOHAS
BUILDER: Cumberland Building
ENGINEER: PMI Engineers
HERITAGE: Touring the Past
JOINERY: Kink & Studio Elliot
DOORS & WINDOWS: Shamrock Joinery
LANDSCAPE: Dangar Barin Smith
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