House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Interior Photography, Kitchen, CountertopHouse on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeHouse on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Image 4 of 12House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Interior Photography, Bedroom, BedHouse on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - More Images+ 7

Text description provided by the architects. Design intent.

We wished to make a large and delicious house that responded to the surrounding landscape and seascape. Our client wanted a luxurious, low maintenance house “future proofed’ in terms of energy and services.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Peter Bennetts

Site.

Vaucluse is close to Sydney Harbour’s entrance from the Pacific Ocean. This headland, once sparsely dotted with the grand villas, is now a typical suburb.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Image 10 of 12
First Floor Plan

Design and views.

New balconies, walls and landscape protect the house and frame views. From the deep refuge of the dining terrace you can trace the Manly Ferry’s wake to Circular Quay. The kitchen table has a view of North Head and the open sea.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Countertop
© Peter Bennetts

Another window frames a Pre-European view of bush and sandstone headland. These views orient you in the landscape and reveal weather patterns and other characteristics of place.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Image 12 of 12
Section

Existing building.

The existing building was large and plain, close to roads and neighbours and surrounded by a concrete apron.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Interior Photography, Bedroom, Bed
© Peter Bennetts

Planning and landscape.

Floor area and bulk and have been reduced; private open space and landscaping increased. New landscape and reductions in scale settle the building in a varied streetscape.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Image 9 of 12
Ground Floor Plan

Living spaces are on the first floor “piano nobile” where a double height terrace cuts deep into the building. Existing ground floor bedrooms have private green spaces each with a view of the harbour. Existing rooms and spaces have been re-formed into memorable new places.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Image 8 of 12
© Peter Bennetts

Environmental design.

Long life, loose fit, re-use and thermal delight are the project’s environmental principles. The original building’s embodied energy is retained as part of a new massive, passive solar environment. “Outsulation” over existing double and triple brick walls provides R-values of up to R 3.8. The bedroom level has a 9 star thermal comfort rating.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Image 11 of 12
Second Floor Plan

Deep overhangs protected glazing and permit winter sun onto the stone, brick and concrete. Hydronic heating, solar hot water and pool heating are controlled by a system which also monitors power and gas usage, heating and cooling levels and occupancy, and has capacity for a future PV installation. Water quality is ensured by careful attention to rainwater harvesting technology.

House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect - Image 4 of 12
© Peter Bennetts

Conclusion.

The house has a calm and substantial presence sympathetic to the many European modernist houses nearby.

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Cite: "House on Captain Piper's Road / Kieran McInerney Architect" 14 Sep 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/773504/house-on-captain-pipers-road-kieran-mcinerney-architect> ISSN 0719-8884

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