Laneway Glass House

On the Sydney city fringe, a tiny laneway tower, inspired by a French classic, embodies an ethos of simplicity, utility, and beauty.

Its Palladian floor plan flips the usual terrace/townhouse model, locating the studio at ground level, bedrooms and bathrooms above, and living area, kitchen, and outdoor terrace on the top level, maximizing light, privacy, and views.

Rooms are separate but interconnected, each enjoying a view of something beyond. The efficient interior floor plan has only four square meters of dedicated circulation space, courtesy of a spiral staircase (in concrete and steel) and a walk-through ensuite to the main bedroom.

Off the main living area is a sun terrace that takes in an eclectic neighborhood view. “What the building lacks in width, it more than makes up for in spatial volume and quality of light,” says architect Brad Swartz.

His practice is renowned for unlocking the hidden potential of even the tightest of sites.

“The spiral stair unlocked the ensuite but meant that at every point in the whole house, you can see the full interior width (4.7m meter).

Each level has well above regulation-height ceilings, which gives a sense of grandeur you’d expect to see in larger old terrace houses.” Brad Swartz, architect.

Apart from judicious use of the site planning regulations (not maxing out the permissible floor area), the trick, says Swartz, is to “scrutinize every aspect of the plan, construction methods, and materials, taking nothing for granted.”

Wilson asked that the house express his pared-back design aesthetic and his elemental palette of materials.

The ground floor’s structural concrete floor slab is burnished for a beautiful and durable finish. In the home above, standard travertine tiles are laid without grout lines to lend the effect of luxurious larger slabs.