Balmain Cottage
By Sam Crawford Architects
2015 Wan Country / Balmain, NSW
2015 Smeg Venice Biennale Tour Competition – Winner
We have been lucky enough to have designed alterations and additions to a number of heritage listed buildings over the years. This modest late Victorian sandstone cottage on the Balmain peninsula is one of the finer ones. It was built by a master mariner, ship owner, and mayor Captain John Greenway Punch about 1890 of stone quarried from the site, to replace an earlier dwelling that had burnt down.
Our work is limited to the rear portions of the dwelling and consists of new living areas over two levels; the lower, sunk partially into the sandstone bedrock, opens on the east facing garden, the upper takes advantage of leafy district, inner harbour, and city skyline views, and will give our clients a sense of being in the garden. It incorporates sandstone elements of the original dwelling and later additions, yet is largely of lightweight construction as a counterpoint the solidity of the original.
We were pleased to see it being built by some very fine builders, dedicated to their craft. The challenging excavation beneath the existing cottage and into the sandstone bedrock was nimbly and expertly handled.
Project Team
Sam Crawford, Claire McCaughan, Chelsea Harper, Ken Warr
Builder
SQ Projects
Consultants
Structural Engineer – Northrop
Quantity Surveyor – QS Plus
Hydraulic – ITM Design
Heritage – Weir Phillips Architects and Heritage Consultants
Colour – Dig Design & Colour
Landscape – Spirit Level
Land Surveyor – Stutchbury Jaques
Lighting – LPA
AV – New Fidelity
Photography
Lucy Rimmer and David Maes (SQ Projects)
Council
Leichhardt
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About the
Professional
Established in 1999, Sam Crawford Architects (SCA) is a design driven architectural practice based in Sydney, Australia. Over the last 20 years, we have established a well-earned reputation for design excellence in residential, cultural and public projects. In addition to our expertise in these areas, we’re also commencing our work in the education sector with both private and public clients.
Our work has been widely published, nationally and internationally and has been recognised in numerous local, state and national awards from the Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Timber Design Awards, Local Government Heritage, Conservation and Urban Design as well as numerous industry awards & commendations.
PeopleOur team is led by Practice Principal and Design Director, Sam Crawford. Alongside the recognition for his built work Sam is highly regarded within the architectural profession. He has led humanitarian architectural projects, conducted gallery based and built research projects, been invited to serve as head-juror for the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Awards, and was a joint creative-director of the 2014 Australian Institute of Architects National Conference. Sam is co-chair of the Australian Institute of Architects’ Medium Practice Forum, and a member of the Government Architect NSW State Design Review Panel.
With a practice of our size, clients can be assured that Sam is intimately involved in each project. We work in an open-plan studio environment in collaborative teams to ensure the smooth delivery of projects across all scales. Our team is comprised of highly skilled professionals, graduates and students. This mix of team members ensures that each project benefits from the close attention of a dedicated project architect with a support team to efficiently deliver the project. We also have an experienced and dedicated documentation and detailing expert who brings extensive experience of construction detailing to each project.
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