In Harmony

North Rocks in Sydney’s West is a family-friendly suburb, surrounded by densely forested valleys. Its streets are predominantly lined with single-storey 1950s cottages and new two-storey project homes, which are unrelated to their context, lacking connection to the natural landscape and Australian climate. By contrast, Courtyard House, designed by Youssofzay + Hart, is in harmony with the adjoining bush reserve. It also takes advantage of passive solar design while respecting the scale and form of the local housing typology. “It was important that the materials and form honour the Australian suburban vernacular but respond more sensitively to climate and landscape,” says Belqis Youssofzay.

Amber and Tom Lowes engaged Youssofzay + Hart for the alteration and addition to their two-bedroom double-brick cottage. They wanted a family home that maintained the feel of their cottage, while providing more living space, additional bedrooms and a strong connection with the bush. Amber had two architectural references to include, reminiscent of two places she and Tom have visited and lived in: the indoor-outdoor feeling of Balinese gardens and the pitched roof and exposed beams of English barns. Amber also had a very clear idea of how she imagined living in the house and looking out to the landscape and it influenced every design decision, as well as capturing the bush views.

Youssofzay + Hart designed a slim, two-storey pavilion at the rear of the cottage in which they also made alterations to improve the layout, ventilation and light. As owner-builders and experienced civil contractors, Amber and Tom took their time with the build, which enabled them to adapt the design as construction progressed and as they became a family of five. Tom did much of the construction work, enlisting a builder and specialist trades as needed. “The house brought together so many good people,” Amber says. “I can look at the brickwork and fireplace and remember the conversations we had, and at the steel in the bedroom knowing Tom put it up.”

The long, slim pavilion is inconspicuous from the street, preserving the appearance of the cottage. Its gable roof and brick walls are characteristic of local houses, and extensive sliding glass doors open the kitchen, dining and living area to a courtyard tucked between the old and new houses, and to the backyard and bush to the rear. This brings a sense of the outdoors inside and afternoon sun filters in through the courtyard before disappearing behind a wall as it starts to get too hot. “That was one of the wonderful things we didn’t anticipate until we started living in the house,” Amber says.

The sun warms the insulated slab and tiled floor in winter, while steel sunshades obstruct the summer sun to keep the house cool. Perforated steel screens on the north-western windows also temper heat, and linen curtains filter harsh light and provide softness to balance the robust recycled brick. Youssofzay + Hart used brick for all new construction, including the chimney and courtyard hearth, which is the external face of the family room fireplace in the front of the house.

The colour variation in the brick is inspired by the landscape, as is all of the interior palette to reference and complement the bush. To find the perfect colour match, Amber went on a bush walk with her Dulux fan deck to identify the colour of lichen, leaves, twigs and the reflection of the tree canopy on the lake. As a result, the aptly named “Forest Canopy” provides a subdued greyish-green on kitchen cabinetry and is paired with NSW spotted gum joinery. The colour and texture of the tapware also references the bush, and all materials will age gracefully with time.

A butler’s pantry behind the kitchen connects to a new laundry in the original house, providing easy access to utility areas and providing a back-of-house area when hosting family and friends. There are two children’s bedrooms in the existing cottage and a cosy family room – “Our favourite room at night,” says Amber. A staircase inserted in the existing house leads to the second level of the new addition, with a study on the midway landing. Clerestory louvres above the staircase promote stack ventilation, drawing out hot air to cool down the house.

Upstairs is a nursery and Amber and Tom’s bedroom, bathroom and walk-through robe. The gabled roof enhances the sense of space in the narrow pavilion, and exposed steel beams accentuate the pitched profile and reference the barn vernacular. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors pocket in front of the bathroom window and the glass balustrade allows an unobstructed view of the tree canopy, creating the feeling of a large balcony, as Amber wished.

“Many architects design a house as if looking at the building from afar,” says David Hart. “Amber always had a vision of herself and her family in the space, so this was an interior composition; an inside-out approach.”