Born of a steep and narrow site, a yearning for lightness and space and a core design philosophy grounded in passive solar design and sustainability, the Ferry Road House is representative of how infill development within a heritage conservation area can be comfortable, practical and environmentally sensitive without compromise.
With a span of 3.8 metres at its widest point, the Ferry Road House optimises the available site area within its mid-terrace location, stepping with the existing topography of the site and capturing northern light and views to the sky, canopies of nearby trees and the Anzac Bridge. Accompanied by a modest detached garage with first floor studio, the Ferry Road House features a light-filled central courtyard with green wall, providing a sunny and green outlook from the living room and the kitchen. The green wall is planted with native species to promote local insect biodiversity.
From the project’s conception, the passive, thermal and environmental performance of the home was central to the evolution of its design. The symbiosis of sustainable design and occupant comfort, often explored in the firm’s practice, both informed the configuration of the spaces and defined the unique character of its indoor environment. The thermal mass of the boundary walls and concrete floors, ensure that internal conditions are thermally regulated. Double and triple height void spaces and open floor plans allow for stack effect ventilation and the purging of warm air during the summer months, activated through first floor operable skylights. These elements of the design also allow for the distribution of heat, generated by the home’s incredibly cost and energy efficient in-slab hydronic heating system, throughout the upper floors during periods of cooler weather.
A particular feature of the home is the central open staircase providing access from the ground floor to the first floor. The design of the stair allows for uninterrupted, through ventilation of the entirety of the ground and lower ground floors. The intricate design and detailing of this feature stair evidences the high quality results that may be achieved through the collaboration of design professionals with skilled tradespeople.
For the clients, entertainers and connoisseurs of fine food, the Kitchen was integral to the project brief. Appropriately, the kitchen was apportioned a large share of the lower ground footprint with a generous work space and spacious walk in butler’s pantry. High level windows above, and sculptural roof articulation open up to create an immense sense of space above the living areas within the home’s comparably small footprint. By positioning the kitchen at the epicentre of the striking ceiling profiles and flooding the space with natural light, the design serves to celebrate the client’s passion for cooking and it’s centrality in their lives.
Alongside the formal thermal and solar passive design features of the terrace, the materials and systems selected for the Ferry Road House were specified following an analysis of both their performance and sustainability attributes. Recycled and recyclable materials, efficient systems and environmentally and socially sustainable companies were employed wherever possible.