BRICK HOUSE

IT’S DISINCTIVE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE
BY ANDREW BURGES ARCHITECTS
From the architect. Our brief for this new two storey dwelling was for a family home
of 5 bedrooms, a study and associated living rooms set within a tightly scaled
streetscape of detached houses and apartment buildings in North Bondi, Sydney.
Conceptual Framework – From ‘macro geography’ to ‘micro geography’
The project’s conceptual framework continued our exploration of architecture as a form
of geography making. It addressed the curious geography of Bondi, which at the macro
scale is connected to some of the archetypal experiences of Sydney’s geography – the
Pacific Ocean, Coastal headlands, beach, big sky and rugged coastal flora – but at the
micro scale of the individual site is characterized by long, narrow sites of poor building
stock and poor amenity in terms of natural light and privacy.
Our project attempted to overcome this dilemma by actively constructing a micro
geometry on the site in terms of climate, amenity and connection to sky and landscape.
The key project elements in creating this geography are a subtle, varied topography of
the ground plane, a brick base of varied heights according to the outlooks they are
opening or screening, and an upper level consisting of three ‘bridges’ spanning the
brickwork, creating an internal rhythm of bedroom volumes and double height skylight
voids that define the interior.
Spatial and Material Resolution
In the spatial and material resolution of the house a distinction was made between the
‘public’ programs and the ‘private’ programs of the house. All public programs are
characterized by a robust natural palette that draws the exterior materials into the public
elements of the interior.