Doorzien House

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	1. Rear elevation Lower ground floor TV room flowing out to sitting steps, deck and rear garden 4425 px 6648 px 14 MB A3 print
	2. Front entry verandah and hall 4449 px 6660 px 13 MB A3 print
	3. Stair, hall and kitchen 4443 px 6677 px 14 MB A3 print
	4. Main bedroom and hall 6629 px 4428 px 13 MB A3 print
	5. Main bedroom and hall 6629 px 4428 px 13 MB A3 print
	6. Open plan living room and kitchen 6668 px 4406 px 13 MB A3 print
	7. Stair and double height bookshelf View out to harbour with direct access to deck 6354 px 4384 px 15 MB A3 print
	8. Open plan living space and kitchen 6646 px 4423 px 12 MB A3 print
	9. Dining and living room windows 4435 px 6653 px 13 MB A3 print
	10. 4428 px 6638 px 12 MB A3 print
	11. Dining and living room windows 6615 px 4394 px 10 MB A3 print
	12. Open plan living and stair 4440 px 6672 px 11 MB A3 print
	13. Stair, bookcase and deck acces 6655 px 4433 px 15 MB A3 print
	14. Rear elevation 4406 px 6677 px 11 MB A3 print
	15. 4324 px 6614 px 2 MB A3 print
	16. Kitchen and hallway 4281 px 6541 px 10 MB A3 print
	17. Kichen and Hall towards front entry door 4427 px 6621 px 11 MB A3 print
	18. Open plan living space and kitchen 6624 px 4436 px 10 MB A3 print
	19. Kitchen 6660 px 5785 px 14 MB A3 print
	20. Kitchen 6665 px 4434 px 11 MB A3 print
	21. Open plan living space 6645 px 4589 px 12 MB A3 print
	22. Stair and study 4413 px 6602 px 13 MB A3 print
	23. Glass floors above lower ground floor hallway 4398 px 6655 px 10 MB A3 print
	24. Cellar 6538 px 5583 px 17 MB A3 print
	25. Front entry 4392 px 6683 px 12 MB A3 print
	26. Hallway 4418 px 6657 px 14 MB A3 print
	27. Open plan living space 6147 px 5728 px 14 MB A3 print
	28. Walk in Robe joinery detail 4374 px 6596 px 14 MB A3 print
	29. Ensuite 4388 px 6636 px 12 MB A3 print
	30. Guest WC 4362 px 6603 px 13 MB A3 print
	31. Bathroom 4379 px 6675 px 11 MB A3 print
	32. 6597 px 4415 px 14 MB A3 print
	33. 4385 px 6642 px 15 MB A3 print
	34. Hallway - night shot 4377 px 6649 px 11 MB A3 print
	35. Section A-A 1191 px 842 px 27 KB Print - Low res only
	36. Section A-A detail 1191 px 842 px 29 KB Print - Low res only
	37. Elevation and Section C-C Ground Floor Plan 1191 px 842 px 39 KB Print - Low res only
	38. Roof Plan 1191 px 842 px 158 KB Print - Low res only
	39. Ground Floor Plan 1191 px 842 px 155 KB Print - Low res only
	40. Lower Ground Floor Plan 1191 px 842 px 99 KB Print - Low res only
	41. Design Strategy Diagram 1280 px 800 px 1 MB Print - Low res only

Description

The Doorzien House modestly proffers a new precedent in a challenging conservation environment by breaking rank and dismantling the cottage typology. Tensions between private freedom and prescriptive planning are coupled with exploring the interplay of view and viewing, solid and void, through a multi-layered, sensory design response.

Questions and Answers

What was the brief?

Our clients’ brief appeared contradictory and unachievable: to create a home where “in crossing the threshold, the past was to be left behind”, and where interconnected yet separate living spaces should be experienced simultaneously.

To address these conundrums, we pursued a Janus-like composition, moving the house from traditional façade-driven framework to a contemporary rear form that asserts a new typology, pushing the conservation dialogue in unexpected ways.

Investigating the tension between “interconnected yet separate”, we explored a view/viewing framework that leverages the site’s narrowness, steepness and views. Opening up vertical and horizontal flow – Doorzien is Dutch for see-through – the material language evolved as solid and void to create dynamism and visual richness.

Glass elements – skylights, glass flooring, highlight panels and balustrading – conduct light and views. See-through corners erase expected barriers; turning any corner offers a different perspective, ever-changing under soft natural light. At the lowest floor level, the skylights and ridgeline twelve metres above are clearly visible, creating a dramatic sense of space.

Solid elements articulate the expressed texture of original brickwork, the smooth white expanse of walls, the rhythm of steel cross beams, and the dark, brooding joinery peninsula that delineates kitchen and living spaces from sleeping quarters.

What were the solutions?

To embrace our clients’ desired openness and connectivity between the floor levels and surrounding context, we dismantled the existing plan. The broad Sydney Harbour view and neighbouring vistas are exploited by the hybridised living spaces, while each room retains its individual focus and remains intimate and warm through the material palette and layered lighting.

We oriented living spaces to the rear; multiple interior viewlines serve as a counterpoint to the expansive harbour views. This approach continues to the rear garden, with bleacher-style steps moderating the level change, extending the study and sitting room interiors to form a third living space.

What were the key challenges?

In Kirribilli’s conservation area, Doorzien is surrounded by Victorian terraces and manors, with Kirribilli and Admiralty House nearby. On a steep sandstone ridge, the dwelling overlooks Careening Cove, Neutral Harbour and Kurraba Point, and vice versa. Council required both “facades” to align with heritage expectations.

To elevate Doorzien’s streetscape presentation, we retained its heritage “skin”, removing unsympathetic prior alterations and applying restorative touches through material, colour, and landscaping.

The eclectic rear “streetscape” offered us an opportunity to forge a new heritage narrative. Our response was the zinc-clad rear addition, a significant formal assertion drawing on Kirribilli’s naval and industrial history.

What are the sustainability features?

Adopting the client’s expertise, we integrated a world-first installation of Redback Technologies’ Gen II inverter and battery with 3.5kW of Nu-Lok solar roof tiles – the first approved installation for a NSW conservation area.

Materials and finishes were selected for durability, low maintenance requirements, and anticipated longevity with respect to aesthetics and functionality. The solar tiles and battery were calculated to offset energy usage in the short term, moving the dwelling to a future off grid.

How did the project embrace collaborative practices?

Collaborative practices are exemplified by the cantilevering stair and balustrade, its structural and tread design complexities demanding a design and prototyping approach that merged our efforts with the structural engineer, builder, metal fabricator, joiner, glazier and timber board manufacturer.

Similarly, the custom bronze joinery handles capture an integrative interior design approach, linking aesthetic commonalities between existing and new furniture, built-in joinery, artworks, balustrading and integrated custom lighting.

Key products used:

NuLok roofing slates and solar inserts
VM Zinc Anthra Zinc wall and roof cladding
Sandstone
Spotted gum decking and fencing
Mafi floorboards - brushed white oil Oak Vulcano
Glass flooring by Magic Glass Sydney
Polytec ravine, legato and melamine joinery by JP Finsbury
Benchtops by CDK Stone and Caesarstone
Custom handrails, surfaces and joinery handles designed by Bijl Architecture finished in Arcturus oiled bronze by Astor Metal
Ceiling Fans by Big Ass Fans.
External blinds by Vental.
Kitchen mixer Armando Vicario, Kitchen sink Abey Barazza Cudo, Billi water filter and slimline font all supplied by Harvey Norman.
Fantini and Soho bathroomware supplied by Roger Seller. MODA Vanity Basins and freestanding bath supplied by ACS
MILLI Glance bathroom fittings supplied by Reece

Details

Project size	214 m2
Site size	240 m2
Completion date	2017
Building levels	2

Project team