A Delicate Stacking – Little Manly House by CHROFI
Born from a love of mid-century modernism, Little Manly House is a crisp and linear addition to its coastal surrounds, stretching upward to engage in views of the ocean beyond. CHROFI follows the fall of the site in proposing and arranging the formal response, carefully intersecting elements to align vertically and horizontally while maintaining a sense of privacy from within.
Stepping down toward the streetscape, Little Manly House directs its focus toward the surrounding views yet also reserving a part of itself to create a privately engaged home. Linear and expressed through horizontal bands across the multiple levels, the home separates functions throughout, as an alignment with a desired openness. “The client had a love of mid-century modern architecture,” describes CHROFI Director Tai Ropiha, “particularly in the style Richard Neutra’s design for the Kaufmann Residence in Palm Springs – as a result, we adopted the gently stepping horizontal forms to the more confined urban context of Manly.” The result sees CHROFI propose a deeply connected yet grounded home through its materiality and sense of permanence.
Built by GRAYBUILT, Little Manly House retains a connection to the rear to an established landscape as a concealed and private retreat. “An outdoor living space is central in this arrangement allowing the family to live outdoors, immersed within their own private garden,” says Tai. “We took particular care to configure the main living space centred within the garden of the backyard, but to enable a physical relationship between the two.” On the opposing and front face of the home, however, open terraces are formed by stepping the levels back as they ascend. Allowing this connection between the open expanse of the ocean one side and a more densely enclosing escape to the other also expresses a modernist philosophy. “We became interested in Neutra’s deeper practice of modernism,” adds Tai, “and the connection between architecture and life – we were inspired by his explorative relationship to the experience of nature.”
In its containment and linear approach, there is a matched heightening of detail and an elevated quality to ensure the home remains relevant over its coming chapters. “We’ve applied attention to detail,” adds Tai, “so that at closer inspection, there are finer steel details, cladding textures, aluminium screens and edge details that provide a layer of complexity to the concrete, brick and glass core of the house.” Through the simplifying of the overall, there is a calmness that is felt through the restraint used, which feels reassuring in its own way. Combining brickwork at the base with off-form concrete, timber and glass across its other levels, the resulting home both nestles into the slope underneath, while feeling light and open as its upper levels progress upward and outward onto terraces.
Allowing this connection between the open expanse of the ocean one side and a more densely enclosing escape to the other also expresses a modernist philosophy.
