St. Peters Project

Existing terrace house. Alterations and additions, building approval, construction 2012.

Located in an inner city sydney suburb. An existing two storey, terrace house in original condition built in late 19 century. The clients maintain an active interest in environmental considerations, which was reflected in their brief.

The design approach was to reverse the existing layout of the ground floor by providing a bedroom to the front, a centrally located bathroom and stair with natural ventilation, along with a new combined kitchen, sunken dining and living area connected to the rear yard. The upper floor retained two existing bedrooms with the addition of a new bathroom. The roof space was opened up for a fourth bedroom, study.

This layout allowed for all floors to be connected via a stair with open treads and a ventilated roof light, providing natural light and ventilation to the centre of the house. The bathrooms have been located above one another to simplify plumbing, with heat from the fridge vented to an adjacent linen closet.

All roof water is collected in tanks below the ground floor level, for grey water, toilet flushing, laundry and garden use. A native water wise and vegetable garden is planned for the rear yard.