On the shores of Sydney Harbour, New Zealand–born Australian architect Richard Archer devised a home of connections with the water and city beyond — the ever-moving seascape by day, and at night the vast black expanse of water framed by city lights — and retreat from the same.
Located in Point Piper in the city’s eastern suburbs, the site faces north-west towards the central business district. A full renovation of an existing four-storey 1980s house was undertaken as well as a complete landscape redesign, in which mature trees were delivered to the site by barge to create an instant tropical green belt around the property.
Here, local sandstone meets timber and limestone-look ceramic tiles, accentuated with extensive greenery. A lap pool is located at the edge of the property, the poolscape dropping away to the sea.
“This project was about joy, about the dynamism of the site,” Richard explains. “We set out to create a place of privacy, of peace and tranquility, yet one intimately connected with the city beyond; an elegant sanctuary.”
