Anthony Gill Architects

Anthony Gill designed this house for a builder and his young family, situated on the long sandy flat that extends from Bondi to the harbour at Rose Bay. Located on a 415sqm block in North Bondi, the property is notable for its size in the area. It sits one house back from a busy street corner featuring apartments and shopfronts, resulting in a mix of surrounding housing types and a site that is heavily overlooked. The original single-storey bungalow on the site was carefully deconstructed to enable the re-use of its building materials, including bricks and timber roof framing.


A primary focus of the design was the potential for gardens to filter neighboring conditions and provide a sense of softness. Early collaboration with consultants shaped the design approach, ensuring a clear understanding of how the gardens could address privacy and protection. Each room’s exposure was carefully considered, with gardens integrated into the design to create a buffer and enhance the overall experience of the home.


The plan of the house features staggered and stepped rooms, creating distinct garden spaces that bring light and ventilation deep into the interior. Each room is closely connected to its adjacent garden, offering privacy and unique conditions. In section, a four-step level change addresses the site’s slight slope from the backyard to the street. This design results in a tall lounge room, sunken into the site, with an expressed retaining wall that meets the slightly raised garden level.


The entry path leads through an unfenced garden, down the side of the house, and into the center of the plan. This central entry divides the home into private areas and public living spaces, which are seamlessly connected to the outdoors. On the first floor, a compact plan is organized around a circulation spine linking four bedrooms and a bathroom. Each bedroom features full-width and height openings onto densely planted roof gardens, flourishing under sloping fiberglass privacy screens. The steepness of these screens varies according to setback controls that shape the underlying brick and concrete structure.


Material selection was carefully considered to respond to the local context. Red brick, a common material in Bondi’s back streets, was chosen for its contextual relevance. The bricks from the original bungalow were repurposed to form much of the internal brickwork, finished in a natural render that was left unpainted and sealed with wax. The Oregon roof framing was reused for the kitchen island and internal doors, also finished with wax. The design also incorporates sustainable elements, including increased shade through native planting, a 9.3kW solar system with a battery, electric car charging, and a 7,200L water tank.