Flying Fox House
ARCHITECTS
George Banks Architecture
LEAD ARCHITECTS
Gorgi Gulevski
LOCATION
Australia
CATEGORY
Houses
Text description provided by architect.
Nestled in a bay-side suburb in Sydney, Flying Fox extends at the top of a sloped site that peers over the bay. The project's aim was to create a home that captures the northern sun and views of the bay.
To address this, a large outdoor space featuring a swimming pool, outdoor living, and a kitchen was situated at the front of the site.
This home layers a series of spaces that cascade along the sloped site, allowing views from the different parts of the building.
The outdoor space serves as the core of the home, which connects to the main living areas. The bedroom levels are placed below and above this level, with a private office and bathrooms throughout.
The client wanted to have a suspended pool that looks directly over the bay and can be accessed from the main living areas and connect with the internal space.
The challenge was to create a space that could connect to the living area and provide natural sunlight to this area.
The typical suburban home in Australia features a large backyard where most of the outdoor activities occur, so we decided to flip this idea and provide a front-facing space that was able to fulfill the client's demands.
Large doors and windows are used on the northern elevation to provide natural light to flow through the space whilst an operable roof allows the client to control the sun in the alfresco area.
The curved features of the home soften the façade and juxtapose against the cascading rock garden beds at the front of the home.
The curves are also reflected inside the home with curved ceiling spaces and fluted accents through the internal joinery items.
The materials used provide warm and elegant tones with the use of oak floors, wool carpet, quartzite, and limestone.
Concave profiles and curved shapes used in the interior reflect on the façades shape. The light and warm colour tones were chosen by the client and provide a tranquil and calming environment.