Brougham Place

by Smart Design Studio

Recognisable by its distinctive modernist character, this home, office and studio draws inspiration from the owners’ passion for Le Corbusier and love of the rough grain of inner-city Potts Point in Sydney. Following a careful consideration of volume, scale and openings in response to the surrounding built form, the building was reoriented as a courtyard house, opening up the dynamic potential of the site. The resulting structure consists of two dwellings separated by a secluded central courtyard. The two volumes are conceived as off-form concrete boxes supported by sandstone plinths. The concrete forms feature large openings dressed with an array of multi-coloured louvre blades, with a palette drawn from the heritage colours of the area and modernist architecture. This deliberate modern aesthetic provides strong juxtaposition to the historic nature of the site and context, while incorporating materials and colours from the era. The design reflects the interplay of shelter and openness, balancing private internal and shared external spaces. The larger front dwelling contains the owners’ home and office, with the workspace on the ground floor and living in the upper two floors. The living spaces are designed as one coherent space. Rooms are created by the insertion of floating planes and joinery pods, resulting in flowing spaces and varying levels of privacy and separation. The rear building houses a garage with a studio apartment above. The stairs were positioned to wind around the south and west perimeter while the living spaces open onto north-facing balconies. Again, the louvred facade controls light and views, and the off-form concrete and coloured blades visually connect to the front dwelling.

The position of each volume responds directly to site conditions and surrounding buildings, allowing increased sunlight and better views to neighbours at the south, restricting overshadowing of neighbours at the rear, and enabling privacy and increased sunlight for the courtyard. Meanwhile, the long east-west orientation of the dwelling maximises solar access and offers an extraordinary view of the city and harbour. The sandstone plinths at the base of each concrete structure were made from salvaged sandstone from the original building that was rough-cut by stonemasons to create a beautifully textured element that wraps around the front facade and side lane of the site. It is a wonderfully tactile surface that reflects the traditional stone footings of the local terraces and the grand cut-rock faces that line Brougham Street. The internal spaces contrast travertine stone floors, off-form concrete walls and ceilings, and timber stairs. White joinery is detailed to reveal subtle accents in colours that match those of the external louvres, while timber elements marry with the client’s beautiful antique furniture collection. Carefully detailed joinery pieces are integrated into the house, including reading lamps, book and touchscreen shelves and a self-opening television compartment that unfolds from the master bed suite. The central courtyard extends the composition of the internal planning outside, with planes of timber and concrete hovering over a reflective black granite sitting pool, creating a place of calm and introspection. In contrast, the green roof of the front dwelling celebrates its exposure to the corner site, akin to a lookout on a rocky cliff top, with sweeping views to the city and harbour as the terrain drops down to Woolloomooloo.