North Narrabeen House - 2009

Architect: Choi Ropiha
Wimbledon Ave PQ 089
Wimbledon Ave PQ 111
Wimbledon Ave PQ 102
Wimbledon Ave PQ 099
Wimbledon Ave PQ 097
Wimbledon Ave PQ 094
Wimbledon Ave PQ 087
Wimbledon ave pq 057
Wimbledon Ave PQ 039
Wimbledon Ave PQ 038
Wimbledon Ave PQ 019

The North Narabeen House is located on the edge of Narabeen Lagoon. The prime block initially contained an old 1970's brick house that had to be completely demolished. The only item that was retained was the in-ground swimming pool that was converted into a water tank.

Due to the proximity to the lagoon, the house needed to be elevated 1.2m to safeguard against flooding. The building was constructed from a suspended concrete slab on block piers, then constructed from lightweight materials. Timber was the primary build material and includes stained black cypress pine cladding, clear finish tallowood cladding and external screen elements, blackbutt stairs, and new guinea rosewood window frames.

The warmth and tactile characteristics of timber are fundamental to establish a feeling of oasis while connecting the house with the natural environment of the lagoon and island.

Some of the sustainable features are hydronic heating to the concrete slab, solar hot water, low E glazing and large rainwater storage for toilets, laundry and garden.