Curve House

The brief

Our clients wanted street appeal.

Our clients needed an architect to shape their well-considered plan into a 3-dimensional building. Their idea was a bit boxy — but they hoped we could create an impressive facade. Located on the high side of the street between two very different and well-designed homes, it needed a distinctive look to hold its own.

A simple 3-storey design would have left the garage too prominent — a common failure on narrow blocks. The resulting curved facade design gives the house a sharp contemporary identity. The curve pulls the garage back from the foreground and creates a dynamic entry sequence that makes the house feel larger than it is.

DA approval by Warringah Council in just 8 weeks was a direct result of thorough, well-documented drawings that left council nothing to question.

We are thrilled with the final design outcome — a unique and well thought out design.

Rebecca & Mike Issacs · Curve House, 2012

The design thinking

Form follows the facade.

The curve wasn't just an aesthetic decision — it was a spatial one. By sweeping the street-facing wall, we pushed the garage back from the foreground, created a dynamic entry sequence, and gave each level a slightly different spatial quality as the floor plan shifts with the curve.

The structural logic of the curve also benefits the basement level beneath, distributing loads more evenly than a flat wall. The home cinema in the basement is a result of the space created by the setback — a space that would have been wasted in a conventional design.