Inner House, Habitus Living, March 2013

World within a worldPreservation or conservation? The question is key to what we do with heritage

buildings. As SIMON SWANEY explains to PAUL McGILLIcK, it was central

to BATES SMART’s approach to this iconic inner suburban church in SYdNEY.

text Paul McGillick | PhotoGraPhy richard Glover

3. on location # 99issue #19 habitusliving.com

This is a story about cultural sustainability – finding new use for an old building with great heritage value and, as a result, generating cultural renewal.

The building in question is the First Church of Christ, Scientist (the religion was founded in 1879 by Mary Baker Eddy), a neo-Classical landmark in Darlinghurst built in 1927 and designed by Samuel George Thorp (of Peddle Thorp & Walker).

Architects, Bates Smart, had looked at the building as a possible studio location, but it was in a residential zone, so director Simon Swaney brought it to the attention of the man who eventually became the client. Initially, the client also had ideas which would have been non-compliant, so Simon suggested building a residential ‘pod’ within the space – a reversible, demountable structure which would not compromise the building’s heritage status. At first, this was to be a temporary solution. Instead, there is now a six-bedroom, five-bathroom house built inside the former church.

The building has a basement (partially below street level) which was once the Sunday school, and the client (an investor and philanthropist with a special interest in art) still has ambitions to use this as a business incubator. The main space above, previously the church auditorium, soars to a height of 12 metres and was once filled with pews. Most of these have been stored downstairs, but some have been retained and

previous lefT | A clAssicAl grAviTAs chArAcTerises The building from The sTreeT. previous righT | enTry hAll feATures Seated Buddha (2011) by soPheAP Pich, in rATTAn, bAmboo, wire And Plywood. above | looking from The kiTchen, The living Pod floATs Above The originAl floor, wiTh The orgAn AreA jusT visible To The lefT. The blue PAinTing is Guraki Marri Bulpuldjidji Goonyah by lin onus. opposiTe | PersPecTive skeTch showing cleArly how The Pod ‘floATs’ inside The building.


clustered to the side of the living space, around the organ – famous in its day – so that concerts can be held. In this way, the client is able to maintain a degree of public access to what is otherwise a family home.

Within the main space, the architects have built a lightweight structure which sits on top of the original, slightly raked, timber floor. This is the dining and living area and it is bookended by two translucent, two-storey cubes which contain the bedrooms, bathrooms and the seriously serious kitchen (tempura plate, deep fryer, cooktop and seating for a dozen people) to accommodate the client’s passion for cooking and entertaining. The lightweight structure was manufactured off-site and then assembled on-site (it took just 14 weeks to build) and can be completely unscrewed and taken away. It uses fairly raw, contemporary materials (for example, ply linings that brace the structure), which is a deliberate strategy to contrast with the original building. In this way, the integrity of the building is maintained, with old and new complementing one another.

“There is,” says Simon, “some integrity in the idea that the new structure is demountable. It hasn’t taken anything away from the original building. It sits on the floor. There’s no penetration through the roof. The kitchen exhaust, for example, has an ultra-violet hood which enables you to duct it down through the floor – it treats things with ultra-violet light, so it doesn’t condense. The fireplace runs on ethanol, so it doesn’t need a flue.”

above | The norThern TrAnslucenT box conTAins The kiTchen on The ground floor wiTh The mAsTer bedroom on The floor Above. The lighTweighT sTrucTure Took jusT 14 weeks To build. iT wAs firsT mAnufAcTured off-siTe, before being Assembled on-siTe.


Some [of the pews] have been retained and clustered around the organ – so that concerts can be held.


entry

kitchen

living

bed

bath

garden

laundry

study

gym

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The somewhat raw quality to the central floating space contrasts with the private domain. The central space is dramatic, but the bedrooms are appropriately intimate, with softer, more refined finishes. Simon calls them sanctuaries. The master bedroom exemplifies this – it’s more highly finished, with carefully considered joinery.

If there is an agenda to maintain some degree of public access, there is also an interesting semi-public aspect to balance the private. It is very much a family home. But with three daughters, the client was also keen to sustain an extended family life by providing space for his daughters’ friends to visit and stay over. There are, for example, two bedrooms with two lots of double bunks capable of accommodating up to 12 children. “What he is really doing,” says Simon, “is ensuring that there is a solid base for his family and that, no matter what age they are, there is a place they can bring their friends to.” As an extension to this agenda, there are four digital screens in the kitchen which allow viewers to scroll through 4,500 photographs of family life.

As it happens, I grew up in this area. We lived nearby in Clapton Place and I vividly recall the church as a mysterious and imposing structure, temple-like in its neo-Classical expression. And I would wonder what went on inside.

previous | The orgAn AreA, wiTh recycled Pews. opposiTe | floor PlAns. above | The mAsTer bedroom is more highly finished ThAn The living AreAs, wiTh cArefully considered joinery. below | eAsT wesT secTion showing The inserTion of The living Pod inTo The originAl church building.

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Ground floor

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fIrST floor

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This ambience has not escaped Bates Smart, who have created an intriguing sequence of arrival. The entry is not through the original grand portico on Liverpool Street, but via a minor door around the corner in Forbes Street. Once inside, we ascend the stairs to the upper level where we meet a seated Buddha (a 2011 sculpture by Sopheap Pich), bathed in northern light – the previously opaque windows have been re-glazed in clear glass to draw maximum light into what was once a dark space and to enjoy views which extend to Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge.

From here, the house gradually reveals itself, climaxing with the drama of the auditorium space. It is replete with internal prospect and enticement which refreshes the eye as it is taken from one space to another and from one level to another. As Simon points out, even when we are finally in the living room, there is still another space beyond, the small bamboo garden. It is, he says, “a constant series of unfolding experiences”.

The Inner House has won the following awards: Australian Institute of Architects National Award for Interior Architecture (2012), the Master Builders’ Association (NSW) award for Adaptive Re-Use over $2 million (2012), the Australian Institute of Architects (NSW) Single House Award (Residential Architecture, 2012).

above | The mAsTer bAThroom. opposiTe | one of The children’s bedrooms shows The use of sofTer, more refined finishes To creATe A more inTimATe sPAce.

habitusliving.com/issue19/innerhouse

ArchiTecT Bates SmartProjecT TeAm Simon Swaney, Charmaine Pang, Anna Ancher, Allan Lamb, Tommy Sutanto, Adrian Veale, Mary Omar, Lee ZhengPlAnning consulTAnT Steven Layman ConsultingheriTAge ArchiTecT GBA Heritage

QuAnTiTy surveyor MBM

lighTing designer The Flaming Beacon

building surveyor Denny Linker & Co

PrivATe cerTifier Steve Watson & Partners

sTrucTurAl engineer Partridge Partners

hydrAulic engineer SPP Group

mechAnicAl/elecTricAl engineer Cardno ITC

lAndscAPe ArchiTecT Taylor Brammer Landscape Architects

bAsix consulTAnT Efficient LivingconsTrucTion clienT rePresenTATive Julie RosenbergheAd conTrAcTor Arcon Australiajoiner Fisher FitoutselecTricAl Bonn ElectricslAndscAPing Balcony Gardensflooring Bruce Bros Floor Coverings

BATES SMART(61 2) 8354 5100 batessmart.com.au

FURNITURE In Living, Bosko modular sofa from Jardan. In Kitchen, DAB Orange pendant light from Light Project.

LIGHTING In Living Area, Crisscross pendant lights by Bernabei Freeman from ISM Objects. Tank floor lamp from Planet.

FINISHES In Living Area, Lexan Thermoclear multiwall sheet polycarbonate wall cladding from Ampelite. Everroll Classic Mons rubber flooring by Regupol. In Kitchen, colour-backed glass splashback in Skittle from DecoGlaze. Opal Series cladding in Mandarin from Marblo. Island top is Solid Veneer Lumber in European Pine by Eco-Core from Global Ventures Australia. Black laminate joinery in Flint finish from Laminex. Stairwell is finished in Stage clear-PEP acrylic flooring by Design Composite from All Plastics. In Master Bedroom, Botanic collection woven-vinyl flooring by Bolon from The Andrews

Group, leather bedhead (framing by joiner) finished in Contemporary Leathers Verona pure aniline leather in Nutmeg from Instyle. Internal plywood wall cladding in White Birch Multiply by Eco-Core from Global Ventures Australia.

FIXED & FITTED In Kitchen, Minimalist square gooseneck sink mixer by Methven from Harvey Norman Commercial. PRO 48 refrigerator/freezer with glass door from Sub-Zero. Two-temperature Vintec wine fridge with glass door from Harvey Norman Commercial. Convection microwave and E-Series double oven both from Multyflex. In Master Ensuite, Carmen DadoQuartz freestanding bath by Dado Australia from Mico Design. Vivid floor-mounted bath mixer by Phoenix Tapware from Harvey Norman Commercial. Minimalist shower mixer by Methven from Harvey Norman Commercial. Amio five-function rail shower by Methven from Harvey Norman Commercial.

drop box

SIMON | ARCHITECT

It is a constant series of unfolding experiences.


INNER HOUSE in focus

There are two underlying concepts for the interiors of Inner House. Firstly, it was important to source locally designed and produced pieces wherever possible. Secondly, the client’s affinity for vibrant colours prompted the use of colour bursts to offer a sense of fun and playfulness. “The Criss Cross Pendant Lights are a prime example of this,” says Mary, and “the lantern-like pendants were selected to provide a more intimate feel within the sheer volume of the double-height space”. The Bosko Sofa from Jardan again reinforces colour and its generous proportions offer “the opportunity to break up the expanse of black floor and provide a focal point for the entertaining area,” as Mary describes.

The Tank floor lamp by Planet Furniture for the living area was selected “for its elegant residential feel, it adds a lovely softness to the space,” says Mary. She worked closely with Ross, owner of Planet Furniture, to get just the right timber stain on the frame of the lamps to echo the finish of existing large-scale carved solid timber doors in the church.

The Bolon Botanic Flooring provides a durable textured finish to the bedrooms without the traditional look of carpet, while the natural tones in the Bolon flooring acts as a neutral backdrop for the bedroom furnishings; it is also something easy to remove which fits in with the demountable approach.

As the client has a penchant for cooking and entertaining they had requested a wine fridge; Bates Smart proposed a Vintec model for its glass-fronted stainless steel design, to blend in with other integrated appliances.

Two ‘sunken’ timber-decking spaces were proposed as additional recreational spaces for the client’s daughters and their friends to hang out in, and as fun concept for both adults and children the air hockey table was introduced to provide a focus for the space.

Mary Omar is an Associate Interior Designer at Bates Smart with seven years of experience in the industry. Here she discusses the standout design features from the Inner House project.

CloCkwise from Top lefTflooring botanic cilia by bolon from The Andrews grouP, TheAndrewsgrouP.com.Au / bolon.com.Au

Wine cabinet 166-boTTle duAl-Zone from vinTec, AusTrAliA vinTec.com.Au

(main image) large criss cross pendant lights in gloss orAnge from ism objecTs, ismobjecTs.com.Au

(main image) air hockeY table 7 fooT ufo from All TAble sPorTs, AllTAblesPorTs.com.Au

tank floor lamps from PlAneT furniTure, PlAneTfurniTure.com.Au

bosco lounge from jArdAn, jArdAn.com.Au

aD

issue #19 habitusliving.com

Inner House, Habitus Living, March 2013

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