Nobbs Radford Architects

Birchgrove House

Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks

BIRCHGROVE HOUSE

Nobbs Radford Architects

ARCHITECTS
Nobbs Radford Architects

STRUCTURE ENGINEER
Partridge

BUILDER
Artechne

PHOTOGRAPHS
Murray Fredericks

AREA
221.0 sqm

YEAR
2014

LOCATION
Sydney, Australia

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

The house is located in the inner Sydney suburb of Birchgrove in close proximity to the harbour. The original section of the house is a simple timber weatherboard cottage.

Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks

The rationale was to improve the house by simplification and maximise the outdoor experience on a tight site with neighbours in very close proximity.

One solution was to replace all upper level external walls to the courtyard with a fully operable facade, when closed this emulates the weather boards of the original cottage.

Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks

The main bathroom spills out onto the upper balcony, the doors completely retreating within the wall cavity, creating a private outdoor bathroom experience.

The stairs were replaced with a new elongated stair spine along the southern boundary connecting the three levels.

Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks

Joinery wraps under and over the stair filling the cavities with much needed storage space.

The stairs are bounded by a smooth concrete stucco wall which disperses shadows and light from the glazed roof overhead.

Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House

The approach to materials has been to develop a palette that is reflective of the site and origins. Concrete references the solidity of the sandstone footings and boundary retaining walls.

A 5.1 metre long concrete bench terminates in an end cantilever. This is repeated in the courtyard as a bench seat and bbq plinth. The contrasting use of timber reinforces the primary structural and cladding material of the cottage, reinforcing the essence of the cottages’ materiality.

The original front two bedroom remain in tact, while the reminder of the house has been reorganised to address the courtyard and increase the perception of space.

Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks

On the upper level windows have been expanded to appreciate the the outlook across the harbour to the iconc Sydney Harbour Bridge. The walls on the ground floor were removed and replaced with a sliding glazed panel system.

A small level shift of three stairs demarcates the kitchen from the main living and dining rooms. The relationship from the living room to the courtyard is slightly sunken. A joinery unit edges this transition, doubling as a bench seat on grade with the courtyard.

The dining room joinery reinforces this datum through a change in material creating a horizontal split. The reinvention creates a generous new spatial experience of the house and takes advantage of it’s unique location.

Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks


Birchgrove House
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks
Birchgrove House
Birchgrove House
© Murray Fredericks


Birchgrove House
Floor Plan
Birchgrove House
Floor Plan

Nobbs Radford Architects
T +61 2 93680531
Nobbs Radford Architects
1 Sutherland Ave, Paddington NSW 2021, Australia