Beauty Point House

2012

Together, a pair of living pavilions rest above a stone podium and create the internal courtyard between. The podium becomes an extension of the street rock face below and a link between the existing tennis court and the expansive west view.

The living pavilion bends to define the verandah seating space and to direct views up the depth of Middle Harbour. From the outside, the cantilever draws the eye to this view. The secondary pavilion houses the guest bedroom and children’s play area.

The 11m ascent to the podium from the street below begins with an inauspicious steel portal in the rock face that joins a stair cut in the rock which further climbs around the stone plinth to front door.

The space between the pavilions is collectively; the entry, a landscaped courtyard, the vertical circulation, and additionally, it affords cross ventilation, solar access and natural light.

A steel structure tethers the pavilions and then morphs into a dramatic canopy to protect the outdoor entertaining area from the sun and rain – the western pavilion protecting the terrace from winds.

Private spaces are housed within the refuge of the stone plinth; its thick walls keeping the temperature consistent. To encourage participation in the garden, the bedrooms open directly onto a green roof above the garage.