Born from Resilience – GB House by Renato D’Ettorre

Words by Bronwyn Marshall
Photography by Justin Alexander
Video by The Local Project
Landscape Architecture by Hortus Landscape Design
Structural Engineering by Northrop
Geotechnical Engineering by Michael Adler and Associates
Video Edited by Andre Hoo

Born of resilience, through a bold sensibility, GB House provides shelter and privacy for its residents along one of Sydney’s busiest coastlines. Renato D’Ettorre has embraced this location through a combination of materiality and tactility.

Located in Coogee in Sydney, GB House stands as a resilient, robust beacon against its unyielding coastline. Approaching the project with a strong methodology, Renato D’Ettorre has created a place that provides both shelter and privacy for its residents, allowing them to live seamlessly on this beautiful coastline. Embracing its location and the harsh conditions that accompany exposure to wind, salt and sea water, a boldness and tactility is applied.

Located in Coogee in Sydney, GB House stands as a resilient, robust beacon against its unyielding coastline.

Embodying the essence of coastal permanent living, a nuance provided by Sydney and its generous adjacent beaches, the resulting home speaks to a discreetness in detail, favouring a focus on materiality and texture.

Embodying the essence of coastal living, a nuance provided by Sydney and its generous adjacent beaches, the resulting home speaks to a discreetness in detail, favouring a focus on materiality and texture. The creation of internal privacy for the owners was key, as was the ability to create a home that felt removed from the larger context of residential homes. Sitting above the sightline of neighbouring houses, curated vistas are created and emphasised throughout, proposing pockets of stillness and disconnection amongst its busy location. Wanting to apply a similar approach of boldness carrying through from the architectural shell to the interiors, a series of uncluttered spaces unfold, allowing for a celebration of place and affording water views.

Embodying the essence of coastal living, a nuance provided by Sydney and its generous adjacent beaches, the resulting home speaks to a discreetness in detail, favouring a focus on materiality and texture.

The utilisation of raw and untouched timber, concrete and brickwork means there is no hierarchy of internal or external spaces.

Surrounded by native Australian flora and fauna, it was key that the home did not only focus on the ocean but created a connection to nature. Through balance and considered thresholds between inside and out, there is a shared sense of harmony between materials and space, with an honest expression of materiality. The utilisation of raw and untouched timber, concrete and brickwork means there is no hierarchy of internal or external spaces. Most prominent is the presence of the brick veil that sits on the exterior of the double height-living space, allowing for a dappled light to filter through the volume. This same language is used internally, as a space separator that allows for a connected sense of space, through light and movement, and an expression of texture.

Surrounded by native Australian flora and fauna, it was key that the home did not only focus on the ocean but created a connection to nature.

Through a creation of balance and considered thresholds between inside and out, there is a shared sense of harmony between materials and space, with an honest expression of materiality.

GB House expresses its presence through an authentic display of materiality, and boldness of form. The resulting experience of being within the volume is one of calm, where the grandness of its scale creates a sense by which the space is humanised through habitation. The experience of natural light, the engagement with nature and the access to such enviable views have been captured beautifully. Renato D’Ettorre has approached the task of creating a robust and liveable home with an honest expression of materiality, form and connection to site, resulting in a home that has its own individual presence, and creates a truly distinctive residential experience.

GB House expresses its presence through an authentic display of materiality, and boldness of form.