PROJECTS
Renwick Town House
DETAILS
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Johannsen + Associates
(web)
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Gabrielle Gering
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| Enzo Marchione | ||
| Town House | ||
| 2002 | ||
| Sydney | ||
| Anthony Fretwell (web) |
SEARCH
Sprawling, homogenous developments are all too common in Sydney's harbour-focused housing boom. Rarer, but still to be found, particularly on tight urban sites 02, are developments that show more inspired architectural colours.
A case in point is the Redfern development that this year's RAIA awards jury hailed as "a new paradigm for dense inner-city living",
. Facing a gritty semi-industrial street, the townhouses have big, sculptural blade walls and layered spaces screened from the street by slick aluminium louvres 01. Internally, they are surprisingly private and light.
The design evolved into five units: three fourstorey townhouses covering 98 square metres each and two half this size with three storeys and a roof terrace.
A simple steel grid fronts directly onto the street, operating simultaneously as outer wall and a door into the townhouse. Inside, the grid is the courtyard and beyond this a clear panel lift door which encloses a garage or potential storage or studio space. Balconies from the upper levels are cantilevered into this space. The void provides a link to the street, but also a buffer from it. On the next floor up are the kitchen and living space 03.
In the overall scheme of the Sydney housing scene, this may be a small project. But in aesthetics, spatial planning and being a good neighbour, it gives tips to the big end of town.









