The Rose House consists of alterations to a two storey house. A solid masonry façade responds to and protects the house from the site’s street frontage, a charmless and inhospitable cul-de-sac consisting of 1970s apartment building car parking podiums and the Bradfield Highway beyond. The cul-de-sac and nearby highway, a source of constant noise, needed to be addressed in the reconfiguration. A heavy masonry front façade with various sized apertures acting much like the battlements of a medieval castle was designed to protect the house from this environment and offer respite and tranquillity within. While a strong barrier was required, recycled bricks, some from the existing house, were used to provide warmth and texture to this façade.

Black steelwork, synonymous with strength, is used as sheltering elements and frames openings within the brickwork.

As one passes through the house, the solidity of the façade lightens and dissipates until there is almost nothing left between the interior and exterior spaces. The living room and master bedroom end in a wall of glass to the east and harbour views beyond.

Photo Credit: Justin Alexander