Gandha Kariappa Terrace
By Sam Crawford Architects
2014
Woollahra, NSW
The Gandha Kariappa Terrace is our third project for this family, this time with the younger generation.
Being a young couple, they had purchased a delightful but very run down two storey terrace house, wanting to make it into a family home. The 1870’s terrace presented a number of challenges beyond those typical of inner Sydney terraces of masonry construction. It was a timber framed and clad structure built to the boundary on one side without fire separation to the neighbouring property. Upon investigation, much of the timber framing was water and termite damaged. The timber floor structure was laid directly on the ground. There was a significant amount of asbestos wall sheeting, no insulation in the walls and leaks in the roof.
What to do? Council was comfortable with us demolishing portions of the rear of the dwelling, but due to heritage streetscape considerations insisted that the front be retained. Fair enough. Yet this left us and our clients with a conundrum. How does one waterproof or fire proof a timber building built to the boundary, with a neighbouring house within 50mm? How does one maintain timber walls and floors that are rotten and termite eaten? How does one install and protect a new timber floor over floor joists laid directly on sand without damp or termite proofing?
With some difficulty… we will just leave it at that.
“A consistent comment by all that come to our house is how big it feels inside despite its small appearance from the street – we believe this is a credit to Sam’s design”
Suraj & Anita – clients.
Our design maximises the sense of space on a relatively tight site, providing a new living room that is one and half height with an exposed concrete ceiling supporting a green roof over, and a small private courtyard to the rear. The main bedroom windows, which are screened from proximate neighbours by roof planting, enjoy district views.
“We particularly like the floating staircase and upstairs hallway window, as welL as the bathroom and its use of stonework and natural light. Sam was also able to provide us with excess storage options without compromising on space….”
Suraj & Anita – clients.
Awards
2015 Houses Awards (shortlisted) House in a Heritage Context
Publications
Houses Issue 104, June 2015
Home Daily Telegraph January 24, 2015
Project Team
Sam Crawford, Wai-Yee Ho, Lachlan Delaney
Builder
Horizon Habitats
Consultants
Quantity Surveyor – QS Plus
Structural Engineer – Northrop
Heritage – Weir Philips
Hydraulic Engineer – Glenn Haig
Landscape Architects – MWLA
Planning – JBA
Fire – Delfire
Asbestos – Safe Environments
Geotech – JK Geotechnics
Surveyor – Dunlop & Thorpe
Photography
Brett Boardman
Council
Woollahra Council
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Sam Crawford Architects
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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