Alterations and Additions, Completed 2023
Awabakal Country, Maryville NSW


Weatherboard cottages built in the first half of the twentieth century were often generous at the front and restricted at the rear, with their relationship to prevailing breezes, appropriate orientation and gardens being a low priority. Aru House (Awabakal word for “insect”) plugs-in a series of carefully balanced sensory amplifiers and connectors to just such a cottage in order for a long-ignored sense of place to re-emerge.

These sympathetic augmentations to the existing dwelling allow the building to become responsive to seasonal living patterns with a newfound sense of contextual sensitivity. All the new, and old, programs of the house overlap and borrow from each other, becoming more flexible and generous which enables efficient planning and an ability to focus on quality over quantity. As a result, the value of the project is measured in joy and delight through the way materials are crafted, light is choreographed and edges are blurred.


Builder: Built by Eli
Engineering: Skelton Consulting Engineers
Landscape: Wattlebird Garden Designs
Photography: Clinton Weaver, Justin Aaron

Awards: Award for Residential Architecture - Houses (Alterations and Additions) AIA National Architecture Awards 2024, The Hugh and Eva Buhrich Award for Residential Architecture - Houses (Alterations and Additions) AIA NSW Architecture Awards 2024, Commendation for Alterations and Additions Under 200sqm Houses Awards 2024, Award for Residential Architecture - Houses (Alterations and Additions) AIA Newcastle Architecture Awards 2024

Publications: Domain, Yellowtrace, ArchitectureAU, Houses Magazine #157

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