Contiguous and Light-Filled – Cammeray House by Tribe Studio Architects

Lifted upward and outward, key gestures that underpin Cammeray House see a bold encompassing moment emerge that opens and connects the interior to the rear garden space. Tribe Studio respectfully references the past in the contiguous connecting of materiality and form, extending an ingrained relevance and encasing the home as a whole.

Sitting north of Sydney in the suburb of the same name, Cammeray House draws on the original home and the comprising parts as the inspiring muse for the proposal of the resulting form. In its very simplicity, a bold form emerges as the silhouette of the previous home is extended outward, reaching into the rear garden and acting as an air-and-light-filled threshold between the old and the new and the built and the natural. The new works see an extension of the previous home to allow for a comprehensive approach to contemporary living and, in the process, breathe new life into the existing weatherboard cottage. Through a modern approach of connecting the internal functions of the home and opening from within, Tribe Studio injects a new-found purpose into the resulting home.

In its very simplicity, a bold form emerges as the silhouette of the previous home is extended outward, reaching into the rear garden and acting as an air-and-light-filled threshold between the old and the new and the built and the natural.

Built by RDC Building and with landscaping by Annabelle Drew, Cammeray House is founded on connection. The close collaboration within the team ensured the landscape and home design were born of the same philosophies and support one another in their open and ingrained flexibility. The new form extrudes outward and provides a high-pitched roof form that is left fully open as a celebration of the original home’s form and vernacular. The lofty, soaring nature of the shared living space offers itself as a gesture to pause and take a breath while also being a hive of activity.

Defining the old and new sits a deliberately leafy courtyard space that delineates the two eras and introduces a green living element into the middle of the home. Though the new elements feel defined and different from their predecessor, respecting the streetscape was imperative given thar the home is part of a row of singular houses. The natural opening upward to the sky, while also expanding on the form, allowed a greater internal sense of space and added amenity. The original weatherboard and sheet metal are repeated across the new work, with detailing to connect to the fretwork of the original crafted details. The generous use of white and a connection to the outdoors ensures a free-flowing sense of movement across the site, utilising all its elements.

The lofty, soaring nature of the shared living space offers itself as a gesture to pause and take a breath while also being a hive of activity.

Cammeray House uses restraint and a considered approach in conjuring a simplified resolve. The result sees Tribe Studio increase the footprint through a sensitive lens, while increasing the performance and sustainable features of the home.