Crammed into a tight suburban context where all vie for that precious Sydney water view, the Light House sits understated. Here is a building with a sensual upper-storey curvature that is actually more hidden than revealed due to the density of its location. The house’s internal planning is largely rectilinear, which leaves the outdoor terraces to enjoy the unexpectedness of the curved facade and obliquely revealed coastline views.
The toughness of the house’s concrete slabs and suspended precast concrete panels is constantly balanced with attention to detail on every surface. The facade’s vertical concrete panels have a reducing chamfered bottom edge that is repeated in the adjacent timber verticals that act as glazing bars. The application of a boat deck finish to the underside of the slab for weather protection is immaculately applied around the edges of the frame and slab; the copper mesh fence is a beautiful version of the perforated screen but stiffened simply with a repeated crisp V-fold; exposed pipework in bronze and brass is installed with refinement and precision everywhere.