Church Street Residence

(HOUSING – BUILT – SYDNEY)

This project investigates the hidden potential of small spaces, in an unusual triangle-shaped terrace house.

How do you fit a bedroom and bathroom into an odd-shaped stair landing? The existing space was being used as a study, however the owners wanted to locate their main bedroom and en-suite there, so they could be close to the existing private roof garden.

The stair was the exact width for a double bed, so a bed platform was designed to cantilever over the existing old stair.

There was space behind the cantilevered section for some low pull-out wardrobes. The bed has a small ladder for access and a fold-down panel on the wall for a book or breakfast-in-bed.

Behind the bed, there is a 2.9m² bathroom with a surprisingly comfortable 400mm wide entry door. The bathroom contains a WC, shower and basin, all arranged with overlapping functions that maintain comfortable use at all times. To use the toilet, the shower door is left open; when the shower is used the door is closed leaving a very generous 1.6m x 1.6m triangle of space; and the spout for the basin hangs from the ceiling due to a lack of wall space for taps in front of the window with a view to the city.

(A small historic anecdote about this project relates to the fact that this was my own house 8 years before this design. I obtained council approval for renovations and sold it to another architect who completed those renovations. He then sold it to these owners who have been very satisfied with their new bedroom and en-suite.)