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New Castle | Anthony St John Parsons

Quietly nestled in the foothills of southern Merewether, New Castle manifests a subtle grandeur that is both ambitious and refined. Romantically envisioned as an invisible garden of paradise, the residence’s design is entirely encompassed within a walled garden, creating a sub rosa sanctuary for its inhabitants. A thick limestone wall begins at one corner at hip height and rises to nearly two stories at the opposite corner, with a few thoughtfully placed openings offering intriguing glimpses of inside, which include a cluster of Cabbage tree palms and a mature evergreen Magnolia Grandiflora.

Inside the garden wall, the rooms of the house snake around, forming more hidden pockets of outdoor space. This procession of rooms, all a single room wide, allows for multiple perspectives and interactions with the gardens, while inviting light and ventilation into every corner.

New Castle is a once-in-a-career project, showcasing ambition, love, and tenacity in every detail.

Throsby House | Curious Practice

Throsby House is a reinterpretation of the original cottages which define the neighbourhood’s built character with exaggerated weatherboards stacked into a familiar but novel stratum on the site for a young family of four. In comparison to the existing cottages however, this project reappraises its connection to place and ground: negotiating a dramatic change of level on the site to ground the living spaces in garden and the landscape of Throsby Creek beyond.

Speers Point House | OVDA Studio

A new home for a family of four in Speers Point NSW. Enveloped and protected by Munibung Hill to the east, the gabled pavilions of this home step down to follow the topography of the steep site. This climatically responsive home provides a prospect and refuge – it feels private and calm, but it also engages with the vast surrounding landscape beyond from its high elevation.

Coal Seam House | Pieter Henry

Seams of jet black coal ripple through the grey, white and earthy ochre sandstone that line the foreshore of Lake Macquarie — providing a glimpse into the areas industrial past as well as lending its colour palette.

Lake Macquarie fans out in a wide panorama of deep turquoise blue bordered on the horizon by the green hills of the Yengo National Park.

The westerly position is also open to searing hot summer winds that combine with a marine glare to create a powerful reminder of the strength of the Australian elements.

These elemental forces informed the design and materials used for the SeamsHouse, with local sandstone, natural hardwoods and black aluminium incorporated to create a home firmly planted with a profound sense of place. The Belmont House’s innovative design serves to provide calm and enjoyment in all elements while effortlessly enduring the challenges of its unique positioning.

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