House in Newtown II by Architect George

Bookended by open-air courtyards, this alteration and addition to a compact terrace house in inner-Sydney addresses sustainability, housing affordability and liveability with creativity and restraint.

Closely bordered by heritage-listed buildings in Sydney’s established Newtown, this 120-year-old terrace was purchased by a young family of four seeking a comfortable yet robust home that required little to no ongoing maintenance. “The south-facing home was very dark and had minimal connections to the outdoors,” recalls Dean Williams, director of Architect George, a quality that the team sought to remedy through strategic planning, pared-back materials and carefully placed openings.

Closely bordered by heritage-listed buildings in Sydney’s established Newtown, this 120-year-old terrace was purchased by a young family of four seeking a comfortable yet robust home that required little to no ongoing maintenance.

To begin, Architect George removed a series of “poorly considered and dated ad-hoc additions,” describes Williams, bringing clarity to the floor plan. The original two principal rooms and hallway were retained and left untouched, while to the rear, the site’s slope allowed a two-storey addition to sit below the terrace’s existing roofline. “The existing hallway now leads to a split-level home. You can descend into an open-plan living space or ascend to a bedroom, study and bathroom,” describes Williams. The rear addition is pulled away from the existing terrace to create an open-air, triangular courtyard at the home’s centre – a vehicle for light penetration and engagement across the site.

“Through carefully placed new openings, we framed views of adjacent heritage brickwork, some with multiple layers of 100-year-old paint to create a series of ‘urban views’ borrowed from neighbouring structures,” says Williams. This strategy maximises the home’s impression of space, affording a quality of prospect and refuge throughout. Spanning the length of the rear facade, finely framed glazed sliding panels embrace the full width of the north-facing courtyard, where the property’s concrete floor slab extends to form an elevated terrace with cast steps spiralling down to a paved courtyard garden.

The rear addition is pulled away from the existing terrace to create an open-air, triangular courtyard at the home’s centre – a vehicle for light penetration and engagement across the site.

As a counterpoint to the surrounding heritage brickwork, Architect George “kept new building elements to their simplest,” explains Williams. Exposed concrete floors wrap the walls to form a low datum matching the level of the raised central courtyard, while bagged natural white brickwork and exposed structural steel elements embrace the building’s structural bones. Limited finishes, including white laminate, stainless steel and white mosaic tiles, are applied internally to address the client’s desire for a low-maintenance, urban family home.

Logically planned to provide light-filled spaces, House in Newtown II continues Architect George’s interest in “crafting homes that are modest in size but generous in capturing sunlight and individual architectural expression,” describes Williams. The design instils great amenity in the narrow contemporary home that will comfortably support family life for years to come.

Architecture by Architect George. Build by Marsh to Mansion. Joinery by Joinery X.