Balmoral House
living private°
Balmoral House is a private residence located in Balmoral, Sydney. The project was commissioned by Tony & Carol Berg, with architecture by Clinton Murray Architects and Polly Harbison. Balmoral House was completed in 2015.
Size: 1,172m2
Scope: Concept Design, Development Application, Detail Documentation, Construction
Balmoral House has been recognised with the following awards:
2015 AIA NSW Award - Residential Architecture - Houses (New)
2015 AIA National Award - Residential Architecture - Houses (New)
2015 Houses Awards - New House over 200m2
2015 Mosman Design Awards - Contribution to the Built Environment
Courtyard for Sculptures by Antony Gormley and Tony Cragg
1. Tony Cragg sculpture
2. Lawn, sculpture, pool, bushland and Sydney Harbour
3. Clients’ hollow log
Pool fence
Rasp fern and baby’s tears
A petite Rainforest Garden
Balmoral House nurtures structure, art, environment and lifestyle to the maximum.
- Award Citation, Australian Institute of Architects
Nestled in the Sydney bush
East to Middle head
Lawn Steps and Tony Cragg sculpture on a plinth of Pratia
Lawn at night
Blurring the lines of bush and garden
Green Driveway and Entry
A city house in the bush
Landscape Plan
The street is invited to view the garden, the sculptures and the harbour landscape beyond
“the building form, setting, landscape and art are all designed as one fluid and interrelated system”
- architectureau
Design statement
The sculptural concrete forms of this home span over a central courtyard, protecting its inhabitants while offering passers-by a view of the bay beyond.
Sydney’s Balmoral is an exceptionally beautiful place from which to view the beache s and bay waters, and to feel enclosed by the bush-covered headlands that shape the entry to Middle Harbour. Across the water from Balmoral, in the distance and marking the southern tip of a portion of Sydney Harbour National Park, is the Grotto Point Lighthouse. In a place where views are highly sought after and valued, houses are typically orientated to capture the view for themselves, presenting to the street only a closed wall, garage door and landscaping. But Balmoral House is different. In a gesture that is contrary to the norm, the home’s main living spaces span over an outdoor garden and sculpture courtyard in the middle of the site. This provides a view right through the site so that passers-by are able to see the lighthouse and feel connected to the harbour below.
There is no front wall but there is a modest setback and an open fence so that the front door is almost at arm’s length and there is a full view of the civic-like outdoor space and its sculptures. A second entry from the street leads through this courtyard to an undercroft that forms the outdoor foyer of a hall where concerts are held for friends – the music can be heard from the street. Similarly, the garden edges at the back of the site are given back to the bushland reserve that surrounds this group of houses, as if to say, “We have enough space – here is some territory that we can share.”
- architectureau
