Flexion House is a new two-storey residence located at the end of a cul-de-sac on an expansive site overlooking adjacent parklands and the Cooks River along its long northern edge. Its uniquely crafted form bends, extends and shifts in response to the shape of the site, program of rooms, and views to the river and adjacent significant landscape.

The front ground level accommodates a forked arrangement of guest living and bedroom quarters, main bathroom, garaging and utility spaces, with substantial soft landscaped areas to the front setback. At the centre of the plan, battens to walls, internal glazing and screens perform in confluence with batten screens to upper floor internal glazing and a bridge balustrade to provide a singular expression to an open double-height space, which carefully veil and gradually reveal a series of public living spaces and private upper floor bedroom, study and living areas beyond.

A paved northern court with cooking facilities and integral cantilevered concrete bench provides for outdoor dining and visually connects to the parkland and surround of a lap pool, while an eastern semi-covered blackbutt terrace provides casual outdoor seating for enjoyment of the landscaped garden and view of the plunge pool that wraps to the rear beyond. A third upper floor landscaped terrace provides additional outdoor area adjacent to bedrooms for enjoyment of river views and proximate connection to the established tree canopies and birdlife of the adjacent parklands.

Externally, it incorporates white bagged brickwork, blackbutt boards of varying width arrangements, finely crafted expressed steel elements and aluminium framed glazed doors & windows for strengthened connections to outdoor spaces and its setting. Dark bronze perforated pivot screens temper direct light to the rear upper floor when required, provide privacy to balcony & living spaces from a neighbour and passers-by along the river bank, while also enabling a signature contribution to the composition at the rear.

Date: 2016 -
Location: Earlwood, Sydney

Structural Engineer: Cantilever Engineers
Hydraulic Consultant: ACOR Consultants
Landscape Architect: Melissa Wilson Landscape Architects
Sydney Water Services Co-ordinator: Ausflow
Surveyor: Junek & Junek
Planner: Damian O’Toole Town Planning
Model: Christopher Polly Architect
Model Photography: Christopher Polly Architect