Water Slices Through This Gorge-Inspired Australian House

A homage to Sydney’s climate, the Iron Maiden House is designed to change with the seasons.

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When a family of five returned to Sydney after years of living in Hong Kong, they decided to craft a home that combined a strong connection to the outdoors with the compact living arrangements they had grown used to from living abroad.

Unafraid of the experimental and drawn to sustainable design, the family turned to Sydney–based design practice CplusC Architectural Workshop to design and build their unique modern home.

The double-height kitchen includes cabinets finished with two-pack polyurethane, a Corian kitchen countertop, and an island topped with Quantum Quartz.

"They weren’t afraid to challenge traditional notions of what a home should be, requesting a generous connection to the outdoors to enjoy and entertain family and friends," note the architects. "They wanted a home which celebrated the Sydney climate."

Designed to mimic a natural gorge, the Iron Maiden House features rock-like building volumes bisected with river-like water features.

The architects let the site and local context shape the design, starting from the rectangular massing that responds to the elongated corner site to the home’s modern take on the local vernacular of gabled homes.

Three sizes of galvanized, corrugated iron-sheet panels were collaged along the street-facing southern facade.

The distinctive corrugated iron cladding—an iconic Australian vernacular material that inspired the project’s name, the Iron Maiden House—will develop a patina over time in a nod to the passage of time.

Flowering vines provide seasonal nuance and will form a lush living corridor over time.

Passive solar principles also dictated the orientation and planning of the living spaces to optimize natural cooling and heating.

"The simple shape was extruded lengthwise along the site and sliced down the middle with a pond to form a central axis," say the architects. "Slender, cathedral-like spaces were formed around this central thoroughfare with ponds running parallel to walkways to link the spaces."

Instead of simply embracing the outdoors with framed views, the architects emphasized the 3,090-square-foot home’s connection with nature by modeling the property's appearance on a natural gorge. A linear series of pools laid in an east-west central axis split the two-story home into two mountain-like halves.

Glazed walkways link the two volumes over the ponds.

The smaller of the two volumes sit to the north of the axis houses the master suite, while the southern section comprises the kids’ bedrooms and guest bedroom. The communal areas are shared between the two sides of the home around the glazed connection.

A glimpse of the kitchen as seen from the dining room. Tallowwood floorboards (Bona Traffic) have been used throughout.

"The elongated form was designed to maximize links to the outdoors by directing all openings inward to the central pool and outdoor space for the family to relax and enjoy, supplemented by the ability to open the house up to create flow between multiple indoor and outdoor spaces when entertaining," explain the architects.

The ground-floor living spaces connect to the walkway and the outdoors via oversized sliding doors with retractable fly-screen doors.

"The decision to create a separate bedroom wing enables the children to build their independence, while enjoying private green space for years to come."

An outdoor fire pit sits between the dining room and the study.

Ample access to natural light and vaulted ceilings give the bedrooms an airy feel.

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