New South Wales
Located on the central coast of NSW, next to the Boudii National Park, with views down to Maitland Bay across the surrounding native bushland, this new house resolves the difficulties of a sloping site, bushfire regulations and a site compressed between neighbouring properties.
The plan is a careful negotiation between these constraints while providing for living spaces that capture northern light and the views, as well sensitively responding to the ecology of site and the adjacent properties.
Constructed from brick, the building form is defined by two wings that frame the entry sequence, some mature Angophora trees and a protected flat outdoor area for the children to play. Between the two, a linking breezeway is totally operable. The upper level with its form slightly offset from that below, holds bedrooms and study. The overall form is robust and protecting but also porous and able to be opened up as required.
Maitland Bay House rejects the established suburbia of its surroundings to celebrate the uniqueness of its landscape and site. With a perfectly familiar palette of angophora-toned brickwork, the house’s planning opens with generosity to the street and consciously shifts you through the site in a series of carefully curated moves. The entry sequence culminates with arrival in an outdoor room with framed vistas of Bouddi National Park, placing inhabitants directly in the enormity of the landscape. The design addresses bushfire requirements discreetly, placing openings within a thickened facade that conceals bushfire shutters. The result is a robust masonry structure, offering both protection and refuge. Perfectly of its place yet quietly considered in its approach, Maitland Bay House exemplifies a thoughtful and contextually appropriate home.
The Wilkinson Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
Maitland Bay House by Studio Bright is a special house; finely tuned and beautifully crafted. Modest in scale, it celebrates the majesty of the angophoras, sea, and cliffs of the central coast of NSW. The home neither dominates nor recedes.
As a social family home, it opens to the street and invites the community in. The house sits high on the escarpment overlooking Maitland Bay and is set within an informal garden that celebrates its location within the temperate rainforest. On approach, visitors and passers-by are offered a view of the living areas and ocean beyond.
A subtly sculpted form, the house sits gently within its context. The use of brick as the primary building material, selected to match the colour of the angophoras, strikes an immediate relationship with the context and, at the same time, responds to the risk of bushfire.
The program is familiar – common living areas, a bedroom wing and separate rumpus room. Through the sophisticated arrangement of these spaces, the adoption of a casual geometry, and careful consideration of shelter – balancing engagement with and protection from the elements – the house presents a beguiling sense of calm and nurture.
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
