︎

DOWNIE NORTH

    Works, Studio, Contact
House for BEES Winner of 2023 Mosman Design Awards, and commended in the AIA NSW Architecture and Houses Awards, House for BEES was conceived as a garden room, directly grounding and orienting the occupants toward their garden. Spaces are lightly contained by a floating roof, folded to capture northern light and facilitate the capture of easterly breezes. Structural simplicity and legibility dissolves the southern and eastern edge, with banks of sliding doors fully retracting to enable a seamless connection with the garden.
Location: Mosman, Borogegal Country
Council: Mosman Council
Build: Wrightson & Co.
Landscape: Collective Hues
Photography: Clinton Weaver
Awards: 2023 Mosman Design Awards (Overall Winner); 2023 Houses Awards, House Alteration & Addition Over 200m2 (Commendation); 2023 AIA NSW Architecture Awards, Residential Architecture—Houses (Alterations & Additions) (Commendation); 2023 AIA NSW Architecture Awards, EmAGN Project Award (Shortlist); 2023 Australian Interior Design Awards, Residential Design (Shortlist)
House for BEES As avid gardeners, hosts and busy family of four, our clients sought to create a new addition, passively designed and operated, that strongly connected to their garden, and allowed them to casually and simply entertain and live.

Retaining the existing north-facing Federation home, a valuable participant in the character of the street, the new single storey addition is sited to the rear, to preserve and enhance existing gardens, connecting to view corridors and preserving privacy of occupants and neighbours.

Conceived as a garden room, the spine of kitchen and butlers pantry, are positioned directly along the western boundary, orienting the dining and living toward the southern and eastern vegetable gardens. Evoking the minimal shelter of a campsite, the banks of sliding door fully retract to enable a seamless connection with the garden. Topped by a single, expressive standing seam roof designed to capture northern winter light, it extends eastward to contain a monsoon eave that captures cooling coastal breezes. The result is a home that is deeply passive in performance, yet expressive in form.

Inside, timber-framed glazing, cork flooring, reclaimed bricks, and hand-crafted white washed plywood joinery give the home a soft, grounded feel. Every material was chosen for its sustainability, durability, and warmth, supporting a design that feels natural, timeless, and lived-in. Outside, native and edible planting, a bee hive and composting systems, further express the family’s commitment to sustainable living.

Winner of 2023 Mosman Design Awards, and commended in the AIA NSW Architecture and Houses Awards, in the words of the MDA jury: ‘House for BEES is an exceptional example of contemporary design integrated with a heritage structure. The project team’s attention to detail, restraint, and creativity is evident throughout, and it is a pleasure to award this project for its excellence in design.’

Location: Mosman, Borogegal Country
Council: Mosman Council
Build: Wrightson & Co.
Landscape: Collective Hues
Photography: Clinton Weaver
Awards: 2023 Mosman Design Awards (Overall Winner); 2023 Houses Awards, House Alteration & Addition Over 200m2 (Commendation); 2023 AIA NSW Architecture Awards, Residential Architecture—Houses (Alterations & Additions) (Commendation); 2023 AIA NSW Architecture Awards, EmAGN Project Award (Shortlist); 2023 Australian Interior Design Awards, Residential Design (Shortlist)