The Speers Point house is a new family home designed for James, Sam, Dot & Henry, located in Speers Point NSW

 James & Sam’s brief was for a home with a small footprint that functioned well and felt like a private, homely retreat.  The design was to be climatically responsive and incorporate passive solar design principles. Views to Munibung Hill, Lake Macquarie and the mountains beyond were essential – they loved the elevated feeling of their existing house and watching storms roll in over the lake.  A stronger physical and visual connection to the outdoor spaces was important, as well as a more successful connection to the backyard where the kids could play and chooks could live. 

The Speers Point House was designed on the premise that a suburban home doesn’t need to follow convention or extend to the allowable limits of its property line.  James & Sam found the idea of a compact, site specific house nestled within its environment far more captivating. 

The plan was split over 4 levels to respond to the topography of the steep site, which helped to define 4 distinct zones within the home - parents, living, kids & utility

The house is composed of two asymmetrical gabled forms, linked by a lower connecting pavilion. These three forms step their way down the topography, and wrap around a central elevated courtyard/ deck which was conceived as the focal point of the house, and was introduced as a way of bringing northern light into the living spaces of the south-west facing site. It provides an outdoor refuge from the prevailing southerly winds and a sheltered place to take in the views toward Lake Macquarie and the mountains beyond.  When the sliding stacking doors of the living, dining & kitchen are open, the space becomes a large, breezy indoor/ outdoor room - perfect for entertaining and accommodating a flexible range of uses.  The master bedroom is perched just above the deck -  a fun place to connect with family members using the living spaces.

The living spaces are perched comfortably amongst the canopy of the trees, and the house feels enveloped and protected by Munibung Hill to the east.  The house provides a sense of both prospect and refuge - it feels private and calm, but it also engages with the vast surrounding landscape beyond from its high elevation.