River Valley House
By Mackenzie Pronk Architects
Thornley Street House sits above a steeply sloping site overlooking the Cooks River. The site falls eleven meters along its length, from the street to the river via a series of terraces.
The proposed design hugs the street front similar to the adjacent dwellings. Beyond the entry spaces the living areas open up to a generous living volume with smooth burnished concrete floors hanging over the river valley.
At the front of the site an entry area and study face the street, inset is a single car garage. To the rear living spaces open onto a stepped deck and a north-facing courtyard. The first floor plan includes four bedrooms and bathrooms. The external palette incorporates cypress pine and dark metal wall cladding, the palette and simple repeated rectilinear forms allow the textures and colours of the sandstone cliffs and landscape equal weighting to the house, and for the river view and its ecology to be celebrated.
Photography by Shane Byrnes
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River Valley House
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About the
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Heidi Pronk and Neil Mackenzie formed Mackenzie Pronk Architects in 2004. Neil and Heidi have experience in public building, urban design, conservation, adaptive re-use, commercial and residential buildings. The practice aims to produce high quality sustainable architectural design working closely with clients to craft unique, appropriate and cost effective design solutions.
The practice is small enough to ensure the principals involvement in all aspects of a projects design and procurement. The practice offers a full range of architectural services for a wide variety of project types tailored to the needs of the client.
Neil Mackenzie has a wide range of experience working in public building, urban design, conservation, adaptive re-use, industrial, commercial and residential buildings. Graduating with honours from Sydney University in 1993. Neil is a Registered Architect [no. 6512] and a member of the Australian Institute of Architects.
Heidi Pronk has extensive experience working locally and in the United Kingdom in public building, adaptive re-use, commercial, education and residential buildings. Heidi worked for the Government Architects Office on scholarship throughout her studies and graduated from Sydney University in 1995, is a Registered Architect [no. 7208] and a Member Australian Institute of Architects.
The studio is collaborative and seeks the involvement of staff in all facets of practice, valuing all inputs – all members of staff make coffee and the partners sweep the floors. The following people have all contributed to the ongoing success of the practice;
Jo Vrnistas, Richard Healy Finlay, Vanessa Stacy, Suyama Bodhinayake, Timmy Lum, Martin Abbott, Nicola Strange, Kitty Lee, Jack Temple, Vi Le, Amrish Maharaj, Courtney Owen, Justine Simpson, Kat Wong, Estelle Rehayem, Iva Ivanova, Jos Tarr, Shane Byrnes and Natalie Taouk.
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