Moon House | James Garvan Architecture

Balancing dynamic geometries and rigorous detailing, Moon House is bursting with playfulness and optimism yet grounded in seriousness and ambition. Its airy, voluminous curves capture our clients’ lively personalities and are a contemporary expression of the Federation neighbours, while the highly considered palette and meticulous craftsmanship create a calm, textural backdrop to life and the ever-shifting plays of light. 

Ben and Laura initially engaged us to renovate their Federation-era house in Waverley in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. With a growing family and social lifestyle, their brief asked for an open, spacious ground floor where they could host family and friends. They also wanted to capture the light and breeze, and have natural, organic colours and textures and a sense of flow and ease. With the structure and footings in a deteriorated state, we took the opportunity to start fresh and designed a new house that reflected their personalities and introduced a contemporary addition to the street.

The diverse streetscape gave us licence to be expressive of Ben and Laura’s fun and optimistic personalities. However, we still wanted to be contextual to the style and scale of the neighbours: a row of Federation houses to one side, and two boxy neoclassical houses to the other.

The façade is a dynamic interface that bridges these two architectural typologies. Three curved, zinc-clad, stepped forms are a contemporary interpretation of the Federation gables, while the boxy brick volume they protrude from relates to the rectangular neoclassical houses. The curves frame the front entry, shower and main bedroom, and a planter box adds a flourish of greenery that provides privacy and colour. Continuing the flush finish from the eaves to the ceiling liner gives the façade even greater depth. At night, it has a luminous halo effect. 

Upon entry, there is a moment of compression. A framed view of the garden and the strong axis of brickwork draws you up the stairs, where the dining, kitchen and living area feels far more generous than the façade suggests – its compactness is appropriately scaled for the street, while the interior is meticulously detailed to maximise the spaciousness.

Overhead, interspersed volumes and voids decant light into the ground floor and offer moments of connection with the private rooms upstairs. Operable highlight glazing brings in northern light and ventilation. Joinery frames and defines the dining, kitchen and living area, which has an immediate connection to the garden and pool.

Above the living area, the ceiling balloons into two soaring curves. These vaults are weighty and monumental on the rear façade, pressed into the solid brick mass; the inverse to the front façade, where they protrude from the brick, lightweight and whimsical.

A restrained palette offers a calm, textural backdrop that focuses attention on the architectural geometries, compositions and dynamic light. The earthy, tactile limestone pavers grounds the house, while the double-height ceilings and voluminous curves are light and airy. The pavers form a continuous floor from the front door to the swimming pool, following the natural topography of the sloping site.

Upstairs, the main bedroom and ensuite is a half storey up to reduce the mass of the facade. The bedroom’s large, curved window frames the streetscape. Beyond these rooms is a nursery, guest bedroom, bathroom, and a study with a glass wall offering an elevated perspective of the living room.

Joyful and optimistic, considered and serious, Moon House is a unique expression of the clients, brief and site conditions. It’s a fresh and lively contribution to the street, and a calm, relaxing and happy home for Ben and Laura, and their new baby.

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“As an architect, it’s such a thrill to be given the trust to create something ambitious and unique. The brief and the client’s personalities meant I could have some fun with the architectural composition, geometry and material palette. The house is unique because they're unique. It came organically from their brief and the site conditions.”

“The character of the house shifts with the weather conditions – super cosy when it pours with rain, and sprightly and lively on a sunny day.” 

“The front and rear of the house are linked by their geometric qualities – the common composition of the semicircular and quadrant geometries – however the rear is the inverse of the front.”

“The diverse streetscape gave us licence to be more expressive and representative of Ben and Laura’s fun and optimistic personalities. However, we still wanted to be contextual to the style and scale of the neighbouring houses: a row of small Federation houses to one side, and two boxy neoclassical houses to the other.”

Project data
Location: Waverley, New South Wales, Australia

Credits
Architecture Firm: James Garvan Architecture

Lead Architects: James Garvan

Photography: Katherine Lu
Photographer’s Website / IG:  https://katherinelu.com/ @_katlu

Builder: Hancock Homes

Landscape Architects: Spirit Level - https://spiritlevel.com.au/