Lagoon House 

On the land of the Garigal people.


The Lagoon House is a building which embodies a number of apparent paradoxes. The area has historically been occupied by small timber and fibro holiday cottages, yet, due to current zoning is the site of an increasing number of medium density residential apartment buildings. The Lagoon house borrows from the scale and materiality of both  to produce a building which is both respectful yet suggestive of a future urban typology for the locality. The materiality is at once humble – fibro, hardwood and formworking plywood;  and monolithic – a 25m long off form concrete wall runs as a spine through the middle of the building. 


The Lagoon House melds good craftsmanship with simple honest materials. There is a deliberate paring back of the finishes to remove everything that is not necessary. There is a clearly articulated environmental agenda.  The form of the house is arranged to maximize light, passive solar heating and ventilation. The materials are chosen for their capacity to store heat or insulate according to their location, and their inherent durability. 


Builder : Graybuilt       

Engineer : SDA

Photographs : Simon Whitbread



Awards || Publications


2012 AIA NSW SPUN 'Residential Grand Award' 
2013 AIA NSW 'Residential' Shortlist


Sanctuary Magazine - Issue 23

The Sun-Herald - November, 2012

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