An Expression of Context – Pacific House by Penman Brown

Taking cues from the surrounding natural elements and the calming coastal setting it is immersed within, Pacific House is imagined as a place of calm tranquillity. Penman Brown injects a welcomed new connectedness into the home, opening it up to embrace its context.

As a transformation of the original home, Pacific House sees the addition of a glass encasing pavilion that brings in generous quantities of natural light inward from all directions, deep into the home. Despite its coastal location in Sydney’s Manly, the existing building had no connection to place and instead stood as a remnant of its time as a bungalow-style home, formally planned, with small and rhythmic openings that reacted more to a style guide than to the site itself. In an attempt to reverse this and embed contemporary methodologies, Penman Brown’s resulting approach carves into the many and varied planes of the form to allow the natural in and create considered connections, taking cues from the surrounding coastal locale in proposing an extended home that responds instead of imposes.

At the core of the works is a sense of calm and a connection to its place near the ocean, so ensuring an ease of flow between inside of out, through both openings and glazed elements, was fundamental.

Built by MJK Building, Pacific House sees the layering of geometries and textures to create curated apertures internally and to the surrounding context. As an extension, the key was to expand on the previously available floor space, while maintaining the generous proportions of the original. And, as the home to its own large family, the many retreat spaces needed to provide seclusion and separation, while it was important that the supporting living and gathering spaces felt open and embraced a sense of togetherness. At the core of the works is a sense of calm and a connection to its place near the ocean, so ensuring an ease of flow between inside of out, through both openings and glazed elements, was fundamental.

As an addition, the pavilion measures 5.5m high and allows a more purposeful overlay of how the family lives, while still ensuring the original character of the home shines through. While the original home was streamlined and modernised, the new elements see a monochromatic addition of materiality and a clean simplicity applied throughout to bring the old and new together with cohesion. Tone plays an important part in offering subtle variation, while still maintaining the intended sense of calm. There is an intended gentility and softness in the resulting palette, which is then enlivened through furniture, artwork and lighting, adding personality into the spaces and reflecting those that live there.

There is an intended gentility and softness in the resulting palette, which is then enlivened through furniture, artwork and lighting, adding personality into the spaces and reflecting those that live there.

Pacific House expands upward and outward in hailing a conversation beyond the building edge. Penman Brown has thoughtfully embraced the site’s potential and created an enhanced sense of purpose by connecting the language of the home to its surroundings and ensuring it is a responsive contributor to its site.