WAF 2011 best house - small house by domenic alvaro

'small house' by domenic alvaro, surry hills, sydney, australia
all images courtesy of woods bagot
image © trevor mein


architect domenic alvaro of international practice woods bagot has received the world architecture festival award for
best house of 2011 for 'small house', a single family residence in surry hills, sydney, australia. constrained within
a 7 meter by 6 meter footprint, this ultra compact site contains the functional rooms of the dwelling within the vertical
airspace above the size of a typical suburban garage. the program is divided between the five levels with private areas
placed within a windowless exterior at the ground level and public spaces are offered abundant natural daylight at
the upper floors. the main entry contains a garage with stairs leading to the master bedroom and bath on the first floor.
the cantilevered steel steps lead inhabitants to the kitchen at the second floor, generating a circular movement around the space
to a matching open riser stairway to access the successive living area. a study area at the roof terrace is enclosed with glass
and may be spatially joined to the vegetation with a boundary of sliding doors.

the vertical circulation becomes a focal element as well as a ventilation chasm, helping cross winds through the windows
and introducing light into the lower and darker areas. proximity to the nearby buildings enforces the feeling of
urban living while the positioning of penetrations within the concrete exterior maintains its sense of privacy. the city location
encourages dwellers to use public transportation for work and presents a successful typological solution to suburban sprawl
without exceeding the cost of a city apartment.



side elevation
image © trevor mein




(left) front elevation
(right) view building from the opposite corner
images © trevor mein



view of roof terrace form neighboring structures
image © trevor mein



kitchen
image © trevor mein



stairs leading from kitchen to living area
image © trevor mein



living area
image © trevor mein



stairs to upper level roof terrace
image © trevor mein



(left) stair detail
(right) stairs leading to roof terrace
images © trevor mein



roof terrace
image © trevor mein



roof terrace
image © trevor mein



roof terrace
image © trevor mein



roof terrace at night
image © trevor mein



ground level stairway
image © trevor mein



(left) stair motif begins at the ground level
(right) stairs to first level
images © trevor mein



(left) first level bathroom
(right) corridor
images © trevor mein



at night
image © trevor mein



floor plan / level 0



floor plan / level 1



floor plan / level 2



floor plan / level 3



floor plan / level 4



elevation



exploded axon


project info:


project: small house (alvaro residence)
location: surry hills, sydney
architect: domenic alvaro
landscape architect: 360 degrees
builder: baseline constructions
structural engineer: waterman sydney
precast: hanson precast
photographer: trevor mein