OTC terrace house
OTC terrace house in central Sydney, is an ode to the vibrancy, eclecticism and transformation of its location. Chippendale in south central Sydney was, for the longest time, an industrial and working-class neighbourhood that fed the docking, brewing and textile industries. Over the last fifteen years, the area has transformed and is now one of the great urban melting-pot districts in Australia. In OTC terrace house, our aim was to translate this multiplicity into a striking but warm piece architecture for a young family of four.
Location: Gadigal Country - Chippendale, NSW
Completed: 2018
Site Size: 82m2
Builder: Hatch & Jason Mandalidis
Structural: Partridge
Landscape: Marker
Interiors: Marker
Planner: Marker
Photography: Felix Saw
The brief from the owners was to bring as much natural light and volume as possible into the living areas of the home. This was achieved via two large banks of glazed, folding blackbutt timber doors in the kitchen and by opening up the floorpan.
Small footprint homes can often feel short on space. We maximised the perception of space by increasing the proportion of glazing and by floating joinery instead of grounding it. The space was further maximised by continuing floor finishes from inside to out, creating a seamless alfresco living environment and blurring the lines between interior and exterior. Finally, we created a storage loft over the new bathroom and laundry to house bulky items that would otherwise occupy valuable floor space.
Small footprint homes can often feel short on space. We maximised the perception of space by increasing the proportion of glazing and by floating joinery instead of grounding it. The space was further maximised by continuing floor finishes from inside to out, creating a seamless alfresco living environment and blurring the lines between interior and exterior. Finally, we created a storage loft over the new bathroom and laundry to house bulky items that would otherwise occupy valuable floor space.
Flexibility was also a key component of the brief. We addressed this by mounting the kitchen island on castors to enable it to be wheeled in and out for entertaining.
Visually, the decorative original terrace is juxtaposed to the new paired back interiors which feature soaring ceilings and materials that echo Chippendale’s industrial past like plywood, stainless steel, exposed brickwork and welded metal. On top of the new exposed concrete floors, a layer of recycled Carrara marble aggregate was floated and honed to create a special finish that is both urban and a small daily luxury. We saw using marble as an aggregate derived from waste in the marble fabrication processes, as a more affordable and sustainable way to use a material so often treated with profligacy and excess.
Visually, the decorative original terrace is juxtaposed to the new paired back interiors which feature soaring ceilings and materials that echo Chippendale’s industrial past like plywood, stainless steel, exposed brickwork and welded metal. On top of the new exposed concrete floors, a layer of recycled Carrara marble aggregate was floated and honed to create a special finish that is both urban and a small daily luxury. We saw using marble as an aggregate derived from waste in the marble fabrication processes, as a more affordable and sustainable way to use a material so often treated with profligacy and excess.