Our brief for Whitebridge Garden House was to design a four bedroom home for a young family with a garden room as the heart of the house. All rooms were to have a strong connection with the landscape; The garden room was required to provide a protected territory though which the kitchen and communal spaces could relate to the native bushland and ocean glimpses beyond. Adult’s and children’s sleeping areas were to be in different zones and a clear sense of arrival/entry was required for visitor navigation. The family friendly interior spaces were designed to be as durable and resilient as the maintenance free exterior.

The building follows the existing ground levels, stepping gently down for a seamless flow of internal to external spaces. Slight level changes in the section illustrate the houses position on a subtle ridge, gently falling in two directions. The level change provides definition to key living areas whilst maintaining their continuity. The simple move of having floor levels following contours allowed for the retention of several valued mature trees.