“MiArchitects acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we practice, and we pay our respects to all Aboriginal elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to a positive and inclusive future for indigenous communities.” ()
Completed towards the end of 2019, this renovation of an apartment in the Engelen Moore designed ALTAIR Building involved “starting again”. Both the client and MiA felt that whilst clever and simple, the existing layout had a little too much circulation. In addition the circulation was narrow and so our approach involved opening up the corridor both physically in its dimensions but also through the introduction of curved oak panelling. The apartment benefits from north and south aspect and as a result cross ventilation. So whilst we did not want to lose the cross ventilation the aim was to try and control it a bit better. Both bathrooms were completely redone along with a brand-new kitchen. Ceilings were stripped out with the guidance of an Acoustic Engineer and the services tidied up and all painted a deep dark chocolate. The north facing aspect made the apartment very bright and the introduction of dark colours was about attenuating this and giving a more sombre mood.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald / Hamed Ehtedaei
Interiors & Lighting Design: MiArchitects
Builders: Robert Plumb Building
Acoustic Engineer: Acoustic Logic
Stonework: HB Stone (supplied by CDK Stone)
Metalwork: Alsop Engineering
Joinery: Intermic
Lighting: Inlite / Euroluce / Workshopped / The Lighting Guild
Artworks: Sullivan Strumpf
Accessories: Spence & Lyda
Photographer: Prue Ruscoe (.com.)
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said” (Peter Drucker)
Completed towards the end of 2019, this new build 4-bedroom house on the edge of Centennial Park in Sydney began life as an Alts&Adds project, as the site is in a Heritage Conservation Area. After several months of exploring design options we suggested to the client that “the modern addition on the back” may not be the right direction and that “starting again” might deliver a result with more integrity. Then came the challenge of convincing Council that this was the right approach. Heritage Conservation Areas are an incredibly important part of our planning system; and intact precincts should be fiercely defended. The paces that Council put us through were entirely justifiable. It was critical to us that with the Clients’ backing any new building should be robust, contemporary and contribute to its setting; and not a pastiche of a federation-style building. To do this, involved a careful study of the federation architecture to pull out key elements and then re-interpret them in a contemporary language. Brick and Timber were essential materials, Verandas, Balconies and Bay windows were key forms and a delicacy in the detail and texture were essential ingredients; With its mono-gable barn form, the existing building had none of these, and advice obtained from several independent heritage experts was that the existing building did not meet any of the criteria to deem it ‘contributory’ – it was “the missing tooth” / “the poor cousin” and that a well-designed new dwelling would better address the original covenant* for “high quality / mansion-style” residences on the edge of the park. (* a covenant was placed on the land under the Centennial Park Sales Act in 1904 when the land was sub-divided to help fund the creation of Centennial Park under the Centenary Celebration Act of 1887 when Sydney’s water catchment was relocated to the west).
The name House15/75 came from the angles created by responding to the alignment of the 2 neighbours, which was used as a generative device in the planning of the front. The double/triple nature of the gables seen in Federation houses also became a generative device – as did the 45° walls of bay windows in Federation houses. The circulation is no longer simply a corridor with rooms off it - it is at all points connected to landscape - be that the ornamental pond at the entry, the courtyards or the upstairs balcony off the hallway. The integration of the landscape with the architecture was a fundamental part of the design process from day one. At every opportunity, the outside is drawn into the interior spaces and the entry sequence is also a landscape solution;
The house's materiality is limited to 3 main elements: Double-brick (expressed internally at various points) for its warmth, texture and thermal mass. Thermally modified timber for its environmental credentials and softness; and 25mm thick aluminium elements with integral laser-cut patterns inspired by the motif’s often seen cut into the timber detailing on federation style houses
Project Team: Andy Macdonald / Hamed Ehtedaei
Builders: Grosser Constructions
Engineer: Partridge (Structural & Hydraulics)
Landscape: Bell Landsacpe and Paddock
Brickwork: JP Brickwork / Stonework: HB Stone (supplied by CDK Stone / Carrara Marble & Granite)
Metalwork: HB Stone EJF Engineering and Kosta Engineering
Joinery: élan (House) Paloma (Studio)
Council: Randwick
Photographer: Tom Ferguson(.com.au) and Murray Fredericks(.com.au)
“Perfection is helpful when it’s a goal but an obstacle if it’s a criteria” (Tian)
Completed early 2015, this collaboration with TTAO (Telly Theodore Allied Office) formed a significant alteration to a terrace on a steeply sloping site with dual street frontages, is an archetypal manifestation of the value an architect can bring to a project. One big bold move creates an unrecognisable transformation.
The existing house appears from the front, to be a single-story terrace – as most of the house is actually underground. The (seemingly) simple act of cutting a lightwell into the rock below the original concrete front courtyard, brought light and air into the formerly windowless and dark lower level, whilst maintaining the heritage streetscape.
The back half of the house was entirely demolished and the ‘catastrophe’ of kitchen, bathroom, outdoor laundry etc. was then relocated to the front of the house (at the lower level). The living was then relocated to a new built-form at the rear re-using the existing bricks from the demolished section resulting in a vastly improved connection to the back yard. At the end of the yard a new studio over a garage helps frame the backyard which in summer becomes a shaded outdoor room under the enormous canopy of a Chinese Hackberry on the neighbouring property.
All the bedrooms and a large new bathroom are then grouped on the upper (street) level. We were very lucky to have Mary Gaudin take some of the photographs here whilst actually staying in the house over several days as a guest of the owners.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Telly Theodore Allied Office
Builders: Cuzco(House) / Constec(Studio)
Engineer: Partridge
Interiors: MiArchitects / Telly Theodore
Council: City of Sydney
Photographer:
Mary Gaudin(.com) and Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“At the heart of the search for exceptional places is a call for urban dwellers to become actors rather than spectators, to effect change rather than simply witnessing it.” (Bradley Garett)
Completed 2010 this house is clad in Grey Bark, making tangible reference to the weatherboard cottage that was previously on the site.
The sculpted form of the house was driven almost entirely by the height, scale and topography of the surrounding urban context, the numerical controls set out by the local Council and of course the Client’s requirements. The house has three levels, including a rumpus room under the roof.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Emanuele Rattazzi, Ian Lim, Robert Kalocay, Karsten Jandke
Client: Anthony/Danta
Builder: Spyker / Taylor Constructions
Engineer: SDA Structures
Landscaping: Garden Life
Interiors: MiArchitects
Lighting: MiArchitects
Principal Certifying Authority: NSW Building Approvals
Council: City of Sydney
Photographer:
Interiors - Murray Fredericks(.com.au) Exteriors - Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“Design is an agent of change, it can help us make sense of what is happening and turn it to our advantage.” (Alice Rawthsorn)
Completed mid-2017 for the dynamic duo of Michelle Spinks and Adam Goodrum this tiny addition to a refurbished heritage listed terrace (refurbished by Rohan Little in 2005) was a small part of a wider plan to convert the whole rear section of the house to accommodate growing children. Comprising a open space a sleeping platform and a small bathroom the building can stand alone as a teenage retreat.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Emiliano Miranda
Client: Goodrum/Spinks
Builder: Owner Builder w/ Magpie Carpentry
Engineer: Partridge
Council: City of Sydney
Photographer:
Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“The difference between architecture and sculpture is plumbing _______” (Marcel Duchamp / Gordon Matta-Clark / Rosemarie Castoro)
Originally completed 2007, the most recent works to this large family house in Paddington were completed in 2017
Magnificent in its scale, and the luxury of its finishes, the house includes a retractable roof over a central atrium, 1.5m wide circulation spaces, garaging for 4 cars, a cellar cut into the sandstone and quite a few kilometres of CAT-6 cabling! The house has changed hands three times in the 10 year period since it was finished and each new owner has engaged us to do works to tailor the house to their needs – a testament to the built-in flexibility.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Brent Dunn, Katharina Hendel, Emanuele Rattazzi, Dave Sweatman, Gernot Giudice
Clients: Hardi/Cannon-Brookes/Martin
Builder: Robert Plumb Build (orignal work by Asheville Pacific)
Engineer: Partridge
Services: VOS Group
Interiors: MiArchitects / Chrissie Jeffery
Council: Woollahra Municipal Council
Photographer:
Prue Ruscoe(.com)
“Architecture is not about form. It is about the light and its use, the structure and the shadow, the smell and so on – form is the easiest to control – it can be done at the end” (Peter Zumthor)
Completed 2014 for director Andy Macdonald’s closest friends this addition to a 1940’s bungalow is a simple diagram that separates the house into three clear zones: Parents / Children / Shared.
Procured on an unusually tight budget the finishes are ‘no-nonsense’ robust and simple. The exposed joists of the ceiling in the new Kitchen/Living/Dining Space add texture and form a link to the textures of the period detailing in the original house. Upstairs the Parent’s retreat is bare bones but heavily insulated to ensure it is not a hotbox in the summer and nice and toasty in the winter.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Emiliano Miranda
Client: Shortland/Gleeson
Builder: David Tisdall
Engineer: Partridge
Interiors: MiArchitects
Lighting: Filament Lighting
Joinery: Jointec
Council: Marrickville (now Inner West)
Although this development was procured under a Complying Development Certificate (bypassing Council)
Photographer:
Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“Never simplify what is complicated; or complicate what is simple _____” (Arundhati Roy)
Completed 2016 this ‘house in the sky’ includes a large on-title private garden with captivating views over Sydney CBD and the harbour.
The project involved extending the upper level of an existing penthouse out onto the flat roof of the level below. The existing upper level felt small and restrictive with a mean outdoor area that was restricted from accessing views available from the on-title area that was inaccessible. A simple and restrained palette ensures a calm understated luxury.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Emiliano Miranda
Client: Dell/Reid
Builder: David Tisdall
Engineer: Partridge
Interiors: MiArchitects/Bradley Reid Interiors
Joinery: Jointec
Council: City of Sydney
Photographer:
Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“Fashion is what you’re offered – Style is what you choose” (Lauren Hutton)
Completed 2016 this grand old 3-storey inner-city terrace in Sydney was rescued from years of being an office and converted back into a beautiful home.
The conversion to an office (early 2000’s) had removed all the internal walls allowing for a clear program of a private domain on the top level, TV/Formal Living on the middle level and Kitchen/Dining and Guest on the lowest level connected to a garden featuring a plunge pool and garden
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Emiliano Miranda
Client: Windus/Barber
Builder: Grosser Constructions
Engineer: Partridge
Interiors: MiArchitects
Lighting: Gineico Lighting
Joinery: Elan
Council: City of Sydney
Photographer:
Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“Simplicity with a little wit or some eclecticism makes life more fun. ” (Elliott Erwitt)
Completed 2013 this project is a single room addition to a Heritage listed house in Cammeray (Sydney)
The single room acts as the third living space and is where the family come together to eat and play. Connected to the garden and accessible separately from the rest of the house it provides a very different touchpoint to the rest of the house.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Emanuele Rattazzi
Client: Partos/Gregg
Builder: GPM Building
Engineer: Partridge
Interiors: MiArchitects
Joinery: Jointec
Council: North Sydney
Photographer:
Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“I’ve never understood why some regard interior design as something superficial – buildings and rooms can bring out the best in us, strengthen us and influence our well-being” (Ilse Crawford)
Completed 2011 this 3 storey 5-bedroom family house was conceived as a platform for living set into the sandstone ledges of coastal Sydney. The lowest storey (cut into the sandstone) forms a solid masonry base creating a platform under the uppermost storey (‘a box of bedrooms’) that floats above the platform. The space between becomes Shelter oriented towards the ocean and its endless open vistas Each of these three levels is articulated using different materials; The top level is essentially glazed with computer controlled screens that read the weather and determine whether to open up to the sun or shut down to the weather. The lowest level which contains the rumpus/family room + guest accommodation at garden/pool level is solid and uses a one-off concrete brick with a unique proportion – the resultant middle layer is largely glazed - sandwiched between the other two levels.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald / Brent Dunn / Emanuele Rattazzi / Pui-Yu Lee / Matt Poplett
Builder: Steele Associates
Engineer: Alba & Associates Consulting
ESD: Eco-logical Design
Landscape: Art in Green
Interiors & Lighting: MiArchitects
Council: Randwick
Photographer:
Adam Resch(.com) and Mac-Interactive
“We have invested time in developing a language of form and materiality, that enables us to create an architecture which responds with great specificity to every project and its place.” (Andy Macdonald)
Completed 2011, this project has soaring ceilings and a pared back materiality that exudes a calm confident aesthetic. This was very much a reflection of the client.
The design took advantage of the land falling away to the rear; inserting a two storey addition at the rear – up half a level to new Bed/Study/Bath and down half a level to new Kitchen/Living/Dining and back yard. As with many of our projects this one seeks to find a good balance between maximising design potential whilst working closely with the surrounding built form to minimise impact on neighbours.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald, Joseph Lombardo
Builder: GPM Building
Engineer: O’Hearn Consulting
Lighting: Filament Lighting
Joinery: DM Kitchens
Council: Waverley
Photographer:
Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” (Leonardo da Vinci)
RICKARD HOUSE Completed 2017, this 2 storey 4-bedroom family house was completed for a developer who was keen to utilise the Complying Development path (rather than a Development Application) as it was felt this might deliver a better outcome.
Whilst the brief was quite specific about concrete ceilings and timber cladding the form and structure were all to be kept as simple as possible to keep costs down. Great importance was placed on disguising the garage and getting away from the 2-car façade style that all too often dominates our suburbs. Arriving into the house you are greeted with 2 things: a double height space containing the stair and straight opposite, the pool. Being to the north of the house the water bounces great light into both this arrival space and the main living space.
By digging slightly into the land and raising the three back bedrooms to be 5 or so steps above the front part of the house, we were able to achieve 3.5m ceiling heights – which together with the off form concrete ceiling and glass to two walls makes for an enormous living space with great connection to both the garden and the open plan kitchen.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald / Emiliano Miranda
Builder: Vicinity Homes
Engineer: ANH Consulting Engineers
Interiors & Lighting: Ziink Interiors
Council: Canada Bay
(procured as a Complying Development Certificate)
Photographer: Simon Whitbread
“Beauty is the harmony of purpose and form” (Alvar Aalto)
Completed 2012, this project involved the restoration of an existing 2-storey heritage listed commercial building and the addition of an extra level.
The completed building included a Café and storage/parking at ground level with two levels of Offices above. Clad in Zinc, the new level has glazing to the north and west providing a great outlook across Alexandria and in the distance planes coming in to land at Sydney Airport. The east and south sides of the new level take on a folded mansard form to ensure the impact on solar access to the neighbours is minimised. Interiors were simple and materials kept to a budget.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald / Emanuele Rattazzi
Client: Dimeo
Builder: Calida
Engineer: SDA Structures
Lighting: MiArchitects
Interiors: MiArchitects
Principal Certifying Authority: Philip Chun
Council: City of Sydney Council
Photographer:
Tom Ferguson(.com.au)
“Thinking Laterally is at the heart of Design Ingenuity” (Stephanie Little)
Completed 2007, PYD was one of the flag ships of this new design hub of Sydney, and received a commendation at the 2008 Interior Design Awards
The project involved the revamp of a 2 storey cardboard-box manufacturing warehouse at the corner of Phillip and Young Streets (PhillipYoungDanks). The refurbished building comprises a specialty interior design retail centre; selling products exclusive to the Sydney market - 18 retail outlets, café around a flexible atrium space to be used for design lectures, awards ceremonies and exhibitions.
The architectural intervention has involved the removal of complete sections of the building to create a large 3 storey , naturally ventilated atrium space. The addition of a mezzanine level allows additional space for the retail tenancies and a modification of the existing roof allow for greater sunlight to both the atrium and the shops. The centre opened their doors in July 2007 where they hosted Saturday In Design including a very packed Pecha Kucha event with Andy Macdonald as one of the guest speakers.
Project Team: Andy Macdonald / James Gardiner / Rod Uriarte / Dave Sweatman / Emanuele Rattazzi / Brent Dunn
Client: Buying By Design
Construction Manager: MPA Group Pty Ltd
Structural Engineer: Partridge
Town Planner: JBA Planning
Electrical Engineer: VOS Group
Hydraulics Engineer: Hughes Trueman
Principal Certifying Authority: Davis Langdon
Council: City of Sydney Council
Photograher:
Peter Merison (Shoalhaven Studios) and Charles Heath Engineering
“Creativity is a combination of courage and inventiveness. One without the other would be useless” (Leonard Shlain)
Performed in 2013 I Love Todd Sampson (ILTS) was part theatre, part installation and part concert and won the Event Category of the IDEA Awards in 2013
I Love Todd Sampson was an ambitious project – not only in terms of its scale (theatre which takes place over 5,000 square metres of raw space) – but also in the extent of the collaborations involved. 10 teams of Architects (some of which include other disciplines such as designer-makers and artists) collaborated with The Living Room Theatre, sound designers, musicians, artists and a film maker to create this unparalleled multi-disciplinary theatre work.
Using site specific installations, artists across each discipline combine to create works that are discrete from one another and yet connected - they are unified through the performance and space.
The audience, like Laura (the protagonist) will find patterns in seemingly random configurations of language, image, sound and space creating a sense of communal listening and closer awareness of the individual in the larger environment.The journey of the performance moves from clutter (representing confusion in Laura’s mind) through to vast emptiness to communicate loss and vulnerability
Project Team: Michelle St Anne (The Living Room Theatre) / Andy Macdonald
Architectural Collaborators:
Nuala Collins / Charlotte Karlsson / Nadia Wagner / Kim Nguyen Ngoc / Victoria Bolton / Nicole Chojecka / Caroline Comino
Sam Crawford Architects:
Sam Crawford / Claire McCaughan / Adam Jones / Adam Edge Christopher Bickerton / Steven Janssen / Chris Smith
Genevieve Lilley Architects:
Genevieve Lilley / Chun Suh / Emma Guthrey
Archrival:
Lucy Humphrey / Cecelia Humphrey / Chad Gibson / Constance Trofimovs / Patrick Fileti
CarterWilliamson Architects:
Lisa Merkesteyn / Kellie Beatty / Charlotte Evans / Julia Anna de los Santos
Collaborators:
Imogen Crana (film) Alister Spence (music) Michaela Gleave (artist) Lawrence English (sound)
Performers:
Gabrielle Quinn (Laura) Alan Flowers (Old Man) Carol (Old Woman) Lanneke Jones (Singer) Ling Huesh Tang Mary Rapp (cello) Michelle St Anne (Child)
Client:
The Living Room Theatre
Photographer:
Imogen Cranna
“I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems” (Wyslawa Szymborska)