A Dream Home Built on the Edge of a Cliff (House Tour)
Connected to both the natural and suburban environments, Perch House is a dream home built to provide dramatic views and private interiors. Embodying the philosophy of pH+ Architects on a unique site, the home celebrates indoor-outdoor living.
Located in the residential suburb of Castlecrag, Perch House is a dream home built to reflect the local context. The layout of the suburb is designed to follow the contours of the land and thus promotes a respectful approach to the natural surrounds. “The site is really special … it’s really dramatic topography,” says Drew Hamilton, co-founder of PH+ Architects. “Midway through the site, there's a 10-metre sandstone cliff that cuts east-west. Below that you have the Castlecrag northern escarpment, which is pretty wild bushland and that runs all the way down to the water about 80 metres below.” The historic garden suburb is visible to the south and mediates the two contrasting areas.
pH+ Architects elevates the dream home built to capture the best views by adding a northern terrace that cantilevers four metres over the cliff. The main living space is then oriented towards the escarpment. On the other side of the home, a series of ramps offer step-free access to the roof terrace while defining a buffer zone between the house and public domain. “We then have elected to veil that buffer zone with a floating Corten screen,” says Hamilton. “This is made up of a series of fins; each one is configured individually to strike an appropriate balance between privacy for the residence and engagement with the streetscape.” Set across three sides of the house, the screen also frames northern views.
Inside the home, a dramatic hallway is naturally lit using clerestory glazing. At the end of the hallway sits the main living space running from the front of the house to the back, capturing views to both the north and south. Upstairs, a bespoke office, primary bedroom and ensuite look out to the escarpment, while the lower level includes a garage, wine-storage room, laundry room and three bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms are north-facing; the other is a tranquil space facing the buffer zone. Outside, the swimming pool projects from underneath the cantilever, offering water-to-water views.
To encourage indoor-outdoor living, pH+ Architects crafts a dream home built to foster a sense of spatial continuity. Glazing and flush thresholds dissolve the visual boundaries between spaces while materials continue from the outside of the home into the interiors. In addition to planting, exposed concrete and sandstone are consistent elements of the project that relate to the outdoors. “The house is really all about allowing the client to celebrate and enjoy this dramatic sight,” says Hamilton. “So the detailing feeds into that, where it's clean, calm, decluttered – basically not drawing attention to itself deliberately – to try and leave enough space to focus the attention to the exterior wherever possible.”
Following the example of the layout of Castlecrag, pH+ Architects ensures that the design of Perch House is sympathetic to the natural landscape. The residence is a dream home built to sit comfortably between escarpment and suburb, allowing residents to enjoy the remarkable location.