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.

“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.”

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record / Builder: CplusC Architectural Workshop / @__cplusc__

Structural Engineer: SDA

Landscape Design: Bell Landscapes

Cabinetry Design / Installation: Bondi Kitchens

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Water Slices Through This Gorge-Inspired Australian House