Screened House, in Sydney’s beach-side suburb of Clovelly, takes advantage of the original footprint of the home by connecting a string of courtyards and roof gardens. With rooms orientated to hug these new gardens, light and greenery comes in via sliding screens allowing for the control of sunlight and enabling a flexible space at the rear of the house to become part of – or separate from – the home itself.

We worked closely with Trias Studio to explore a circular economy of materials throughout. The existing brick walls are complimented with additions of recycled hardwood cladding and windows, recycled glass tiles and reclaimed aggregate terrazzo. Underfoot, common clay brick pavers are cut and turned to expose their rich core, while outside the original sandstone footings are laid as pavers among a garden of native bushes and ferns. This was a great opportunity for us to meet the challenges of re-use materials while working within budget constraints to deliver something exceptional.

Screened House is an all-electric home with a large solar array, battery bank and car charging and as such is an example of a lower carbon approach to both material investment and operation.