Skylight Terrace

Architecture Residential Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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1. Kitchen

Joinery detail.

2667 px 4000 px 6 MB A4 print

2. Living Room

View of skylight and joinery.

2667 px 4000 px 8 MB A4 print

3. Living Room

View towards skylight and courtyard.

2667 px 4000 px 7 MB A4 print

4. Living Room

View of skylight and joinery.

2667 px 4000 px 7 MB A4 print

5. Bathroom

Vanity detail..

2667 px 4000 px 6 MB A4 print

6. Living Room

View towards kitchen showing raked ceiling.

4000 px 2667 px 6 MB A4 print

7. Living Room

View towards kitchen showing raked ceiling. (image cropped)

4000 px 2667 px 6 MB A4 print

8. Bathroom

Vanity detail.

2667 px 4000 px 6 MB A4 print

9. Living Room

Joinery elevation and skylight.

2667 px 4000 px 7 MB A4 print

10. Living Room

View towards kitchen.

4000 px 2667 px 7 MB A4 print

11. Kitchen

Joinery wall.

4000 px 2667 px 6 MB A4 print

12. Plan & Section

2507 px 2179 px 403 KB Print - Low res only

Description

The Skylight Terrace is home to a family with two young and energetic boys.

The renovation centred around the primary living areas of a four storey terrace located in Paddington, Sydney. The kitchen, living, bathroom, laundry and cellar are located on the lowest level, one storey below the main street and level with the rear courtyard and laneway. The deep plan and low ceiling height made the spaces feel compressed and subterranean, lacking natural daylight and the consideration they deserved.

The brief called for plenty of natural light, ample storage and an island bench for the kitchen. Drawing natural light into the deep and narrow plan was a key objective from the outset. This was achieved by raking the living room ceiling to the rear of the site to capture uninterrupted views of the sky with a full width skylight. The illusion of infinite space; a precious commodity in the high density area. There is peace-of-mind knowing that the view of the sky will never be blocked by future development and there's something nice about being unaware of the close proximity of your neighbours.

The existing staircase was reconfigured to streamline the circulation, once a dog-leg into the former bathroom & through the centre of a galley kitchen. This gesture established the new circulation and opportunity for a large island bench that defines the cooking zone. The small building footprint was maximised by further excavating towards the street, opening up much needed circulation space and perfect conditions for a cellar.

The southern party wall was conceived as a spine of joinery, hiding away the essentials of everyday living such as the laundry, kitchen fridge and storage and kids toys in the living room. The joinery panels create a subtle, visual rhythm that connects and unites the spaces.

The minimal material palette is timeless and light. White walls; ceilings; joinery and caesarstone 'concrete' bench tops are robust and practical. The timber floors add warmth and create a sense of home whilst linking back to the existing upper level floors. The mirror splash back creates an illusion of more space and also bounces natural light deeper into the plan.

The renovation has created a theatrical, playful living area perfect for family life.

Questions and Answers

What was the brief?

The brief was to:
- design alterations to an existing terrace house
- to maximise the building footprint in anyway possible
- to increase the lighting levels
- to improve the spatial relationship between the kitchen and living area

What were the solutions?

The solution involved excavating towards the street to gain a storage and cellar area.
The circulation was streamlined by reconfiguring the staircase and raking the the living room ceiling to the rear of the site captures valuable daylight.

Key products used:

The minimal material palette is timeless and light.  White walls; ceilings; joinery and caesarstone 'concrete' bench tops are robust and practical.  The timber floors add warmth and create a sense of home whilst linking back to the existing upper level floors.  The mirror splash back creates an illusion of more space and also bounces natural light deeper into the plan.

Details

Project size 55 m2
Site size 154 m2
Completion date 2016
Building levels 4