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Fisherman’s House
Built on the land of the Wangal and Birrabirrigal People of the Eora Nation and nestled on a steeply sloping site in Birchgrove, tumbling towards Sydney Harbour, Fisherman’s House connects a 19th century fisherman’s cottage with a new, off-form concrete tower; a richly layered home embedded in its site.
Seeking a comfortable family home to settle down in after living interstate, the clients were enamoured by the potential of the unusual site – featuring a nine-metre fall from street level to the original fisherman’s cottage. Having previously designed two projects for the same client, Studio Prineas were consulted from the client’s initial interest in purchasing the property. “The homeowners knew that achieving their forever home on this unusual but incredible site would take some inspired thinking,” recalls Eva-Marie Prineas, Principal of Studio Prineas.
From the outset, Studio Prineas saw an opportunity to retain and celebrate the original weatherboard fisherman’s cottage by introducing a contrasting architectural sensibility; an off- form concrete ‘tower’ that nestles against the sandstone cliff edge. Though one room deep in footprint, the tower accommodates the home’s private program of spaces, connected to the old cottage via a glazed courtyard link that “allows each structure to breathe,” says Eva-Marie.
From street level, only the lift overrun of the home’s off-form concrete tower is visible, fostering a quality of allure and mystery. “The verticality of the tower navigates the site’s dramatic drop and facilitates an experiential journey through the site,” explains Eva-Marie. In the calm stillness of the concrete mass, movement is guided through a moody stairwell finished with walnut timber veneer, glowing pendant lights and a bespoke, leather-wrapped handrail. A series of unexpected vistas and layered atmospheres are revealed as one descends the site, “from views to the dramatically up-lit sandstone cliff face, to tailored glimpses to the harbour, past deep green velvet curtains,” says Eva-Marie.
Restored and opened into a singular volume, the fisherman’s cottage presents an understated, open-plan room for living that slowly reveals the site’s striking harbour views. An impression of the cottage’s original walls is marked with a blackened steel framework – a spatial memory of the building’s first form.
The modestly sized living, dining and kitchen space open to a large deck for extended family gatherings, while the courtyard offers a protected outdoor respite for summer afternoons. An undercroft and small infinity edge pool are tucked beneath the cottage; a thoughtful gesture that visually extends the harbour back into the site.
Throughout, Studio Prineas has flexibly designed the compact house to maximise functionality, enhance scale and accommodate the family’s changing needs. Bespoke, leather-clad sliding walls expand and contract spaces, while mirrored surfaces create an illusion of depth. Joinery is carefully considered to reduce clutter in the modestly scaled bedrooms, while in the main bedroom, a solid stone bath doubles as a bedhead, increasing the impression of space.
Determined to add another layer of conservation and restoration to the site, Studio Prineas worked closely with Bushy Landscapes to research and source tube stock of flora indigenous to the site. The home’s off-form concrete tower creates a secondary vertical edge to rehabilitate with hanging gardens across the building face, allowing nature to cover the tower and ‘reclaim’ the site over time.
