Pittwater House 1

2002 Guringai Country / Pittwater, NSW

Built as a summer house to accommodate a large extended family, the house was conceived of as a set of interconnected weathered timber-clad pavilions, linked by casual living spaces, wrapping a protected north-east facing courtyard.

Sited on an exposed sandy spit on Pittwater, on the lower reaches of the Hawkesbury River estuary, to Sydney’s north, the house at once absorbs the panoramic views to the south-west, and turns its back on the often chilling breezes that sweep across that body of water.

The protected courtyard is afforded water views via opposing sliding glass doors of the casual living room. Individual families within the larger clan are able to retreat to discreet sleeping rooms in each pavilion. The naturally weathered timber cladding (made from a species known as Kwila, a Forest Stewardship Council accredited hardwood) is set 40mm off the face of the building. Featuring open joints, it acts as a rain and sun screen (a technique pioneered by award-winning Queensland architect Gerard Murtagh) affording the building a remarkably moderate temperature throughout summer and winter.

Sam Crawford, Heike Rewitzer, Ashley Dunn, Lay-Mon Thuang

Builder

Gunlake

Consultant Team

Acoustic Engineer: Renzo Tonin & Assoc, Basset Acoustics
Coastal Engineer: Patterson Britton & Partners
Geotechnical Engineer: GHD
Hydraulic Engineer: Acor Consulting
Landscape Architect: Jane Irwin Landscape Architects
Land Surveyor: Dunlop Thorpe & Co
Mechanical Engineer: RJB
Quantity Surveyor: BDA
Structural Engineer: Randall Jones

Council

Pittwater

Photographer

Eric Sierens, Max Dupain & Assoc