The design of L-House revolves around its relationship to its site. Located deep in the bushland in Linden, a small town of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, this family home is designed to frame and celebrate the landscape while also protecting against temperature extremes and high bushfire danger. The house is a clever adaptation of two existing structures; the house and outbuilding were stripped back to their primary structure, insulated, re-clad, and linked to create its distinctive ‘L’ shaped form. The parent’s spaces are located in the northern wing, the children’s spaces in the west with communal family spaces linking the two in the middle. The building steps to follow the form of the landscape. Carefully placed openings frame views into the surrounding bushland and to distant city views beyond.
L-House is an eco-friendly home. Passive measures such as a high-performance thermal envelope, a low window to wall ratio, natural daylighting and ventilation along with active measures such as roof-mounted photovoltaic cells and rainwater collection and reuse and onsite wastewater treatment ensure that this is a comfortable and sustainable family home.
Awards
2019 – Lysaght Australia Awards | Lysaght Zenith Cladding Award
2018 – In association with Blue Eco Homes | Master Builders Australia | NSW Winner Environmental Management Award
2017 – Housing Industry Association Australian | GreenSmart Awards, Custom Built | Finalist
2017 – Housing Industry Association NSW | Housing Awards, Custom Built | Finalist
Project Team
Alexander Symes
Branko Jaric
Katja Garvan
Imogene Tudor
Builder
Blue Eco Homes
Consultants
Ascent Engineering
Photography
Barton Taylor
Council
Blue Mountains City Council
Professionals used in
L-House
More projects from
Alexander Symes Architect
About the
Professional
Alexander Symes Architect was founded in 2014 with a mission to advance sustainable architecture. The world’s climate is changing and we believe that architecture must lead the way in changing how we utilise resources to contribute to a sustainable future.
This vision for sustainable architecture is layered through all aspects of our practice and through all the stages of a project. This starts with the examination of a project brief to ensure the grounding principles of a project support a sustainable way of life. As the project takes shape, Alex deploys his depth of technical expertise to realise the project to its full potential.
Alex’s technical expertise in building physics and facade system design is built on the experience he gained working in Arup’s Building Physics and Facade Engineer teams from 2010-2014. He has hands-on experience with construction and design for manufacturing assembly (DFMA) and a passion for how buildings are put together.
Alex has specialist training in the design and delivery of passive houses which we believe offer a pathway towards exceptionally comfortable and healthy homes. Alex loves collaborating with like-minded individuals and testing the boundaries of how we can challenge the status quo to advance sustainable architecture.