Sunshade House

Brief & Context A sensitive renovation in North Willoughby provides a generous, playful family home. The project layout focuses entirely on creating an inviting, light-filled atmosphere that fosters communal energy, earning recognition as the winner of the AIA’s SPUN Architecture Awards (2012). Challenge & Intent To support the family's long-term lifestyle needs, the design establishes straightforward mobility throughout the entirety of the house and garden deck. This focus on practical accessibility ensures the property remains highly functional for the future. The strategy achieves maximum amenity uplift through minimal, cost-effective structural interventions, providing a repeatable template for reactivating the classic Sydney bungalow. Lifestyle & Experience By designing through the building’s section, the internal volume expands spatial perception around the kitchen and living areas to create generous, playful communal spaces that act as the primary hubs for family gathering. The layout dissolves the threshold between indoors and outdoors via a level deck, which mimics the vaulted profile of the interior ceilings to naturally draw movement outside into the garden. Grounded in a contextual material palette of face brick and timber, the simple structure extends onto the deck, where a timber brise-soleil serves as the central focus. This feature structure filters the sun to invite relaxed outdoor living, allowing the family to admire the shifting interplay of shadow and light while making a significant contribution to the neighbourhood character. Awards Winner | AIA’s SPUN Architecture Awards (2012) Jury Citation This project works quite well for small alterations to a traditional post-war dwelling. It is a simple and sympathetic addition and improves the amenity of space with a well-thought out floor plan that caters to the mobility access of one of the clients. The new vaulted ceiling gives the house a pleasing light-filled interior. Over time, the extensive timber finishes will age to a patina that will complement the garden setting and be a significant contribution to the neighbourhood character of the area.