Inspired by the Spiegeltent, Europe’s fine old travelling music salon of canvas and lead-light mirrors, Spiegel Haus in Sydney unfurls with a show of theatrics and material craft uncommon in the suburbs. An ingenious multi-generational home that’s rich in material detail and environmental design.
Information
Location
Alexandria, NSW - Traditional Custodians: Gadi Peoples
Completion
2014
Our Team
Shaun Carter
Patrick Fitzgerald
Collaborators
Engineering
Cardno
Landscape Architecture
Melissa Wilson Landscape Architects
Photography
Brett Boardman
Awards
Australian Timber Design Awards, Residential Interior Fitout
Winner
Houses Awards, New House Over 200m2
Shortlist
The original facade is preserved and a new two-storey house inserted, along with a separate atelier/garage addressing the rear lane. Between the two is a secure, landscaped garden.
The mirrored void separates spaces physically upstairs, and visually downstairs. Materials throughout follow a structural logic. The ground-level concrete floor delivers thermal mass. The cocooning central stairwell is lined in hardwood, while ceilings and select walls are white-washed wood panelling. Externally, black steel window frames and awnings are balanced with iron-rich brickwork and black mosaic tiles, wherever the building has been carved into.
The house includes solar power and hot water, rainwater harvesting, hydronic floor heating, and an air-reticulation system to stabilise indoor temperatures.
