Located in the suburbs of Merewether where quaint beachshacks are getting gobbled up by gigantic white boxes, I was conscious I wanted to make a positive contribution to the street. The home is designed rigorously around the dimensions of the white concrete block Harry Seidler used to use in the 70s. It’s been painfully detailed to make everything align with eachother, and the raw materials and the skill of the builders provides the beauty. I like materials that are robust and left in their original state to age gracefully.

The house went through an alternative planning approval, following strict development controls which allow you to avoid seeking approval from those pesky Council planners.

From the AIA jury:

Sited across from well-loved Townson oval in suburban Newcastle, Merewether is a rigorous investigation into new forms of suburban living. The two storey linear volume is flanked by a garage with a roof garden at one end, and a pool house at the other. With its simple C-shape, the plan of this courtyard house optimises the block's north-to-the-side orientation. It is a well-conceived sequence of spaces; efficient, consistent yet spatially diverse, and well-attuned to the rituals of everyday life. The project has the feel of a hand-crafted prototype, with structural elements integral to its architectural expression. Indeed, the architects viewed the house as an experiment in "material rationalism". The modules of concrete block and form ply sets up a disciplined and efficient material language, as compfortable as it is sophisticated. The clarity of the plan and the controlled approach to detail imbues confidence and resolution. Merewether is a fine example of how architecture can successfully converse with the suburban context.