Wentworth Road House is a contemporary suburban home that was completed in 2012, by Edward Szewczyk Architects in Vaucluse, Sydney, Australia. This house takes full advantage of being on the sunny side of the street. Where sun access and vistas to Sydney Harbour are the same you have to embrace it. Three levels of the building topped with a roof terrace create dramatic composition above the street that is controlled by interplay of horizontal elements. Unusually for houses in the surrounding suburb, part of the outdoor functions are in the street frontage and above the street, rather than being hidden behind high fences.  The Ground Floor is partially suspended.  Connecting garden stairs and terraces are sandstone slabs lightly supported to emphasize position elevated above the ground levels.

The composition of the rear garden is controlled by the dominant presence of an old gum tree providing protected habitat for birds and with its form displaying beautiful shapes and colors of the trunk. The main Family Area at the ground floor level is positioned to benefit from both: distant northern views towards the harbor and intimate views to the gumtree. With the change of lighting, the distant views dominate during the daytime and intimacy of the gumtree takes over in the evenings.

External sandstone slabs change internally to much finer sandstone for the floor and coarse sandstone of wall cladding relates to the entry point. Timber used internally counterbalances stone finishes, slick metal cladding to Master Bedroom and solid steel plates to roof terrace. The building displays large transparency, while maintaining sufficient mass to provide feeling of sound shelter. Simplicity of spaces is enriched by fine detailing of timber and steel elements.

Photos: Justin Alexander