The Refuge in Wahroonga

Knock Down & New Build

891 m2

Property Size

6

Bedrooms

4

Bathrooms

2

Cars

344 m2

Internal Floor Area

Mel Olsen / Olsen Studio

Architectural Design

January 2017

Start Date

March 2018

Completion Date

Nestled in an exclusive alcove of Wahroonga, this modern family home combines advanced construction techniques with a design focused on family living.

The North-facing backyard allows natural light to flood the open-plan kitchen and living areas. It features spacious outdoor entertainment areas, including a pool and an alfresco patio crowned by skylights, enabling a smooth flow between indoor and outdoor living.

We designed this home to cater to the needs of a multigenerational family while fostering a strong connection between the open-plan living areas and the outdoors. A bedroom on the ground floor accommodates grandparents with easy access to the alfresco area and the pool.

The home’s design features a double-height entrance, and large windows and a Juliet balcony, creating a spacious and welcoming facade.

Built like a bomb shelter, this home features concrete walls and floors for both the ground floor, and first floor. In addition to the extensive use of concrete, we used a lightweight insulation panel on the exterior of the building, covered in a durable acrylic render. The resulting structure has a thermal mass that ensures stable indoor temperatures, comfort, and energy efficiency throughout the year.

This project represents a sophisticated approach to modern home design, focusing on durability, energy efficiency, and family-oriented spaces. This was a challenging build for us to execute, but the incredible result demonstrates how cutting-edge construction techniques can be applied to create a comfortable, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing family home.

This was a knockdown & rebuild development project. When this home was sold, the following information pack was provided to potential buyers. We created this document to highlight the home’s high-quality construction and the deep exploration of cutting-edge construction methods that was undertaken for this project.

 

Project Team

  • Real Estate Agent: Alex Mintorn – McGraths
  • Certifier: Greg Hough Get Certified Building Services
  • Engineer: Geoff Hopkins & Associates
  • Hydraulics Engineer: StormCivil Engineering Solutions
  • Surveyor: True North Surveys
  • Pool Engineer: Jack Davies – J.T. Davies Consulting Civil & Structural
  • Pool: FreeStyle Pools
  • Joinery – Probuilt Kitchens & Joinery