C is for concrete

Designed by Alex Urena Design Studio

From the building designer:

Located in the quaintly named Fairy Meadow suburb of Wollongong, the brief for this build was to be anything but quaint.

The original home was to be demolished and replaced with a sleek contemporary, predominantly single-storey, home dressed mainly in concrete.

As concrete is part of the extended family business, its use was an inherent part of the brief both externally and internally.

 Exposed concrete elements were to include slabs, eaves and plate walls. 

The design was to feature a separate parents’ wing to the children’s bedrooms, an independent guest area suitable for long-stay overseas visitors, and the retention of the front garden so that the distant escarpment views could still be enjoyed.

The solution came in the form of a C-shaped structure situated at the rear of the site to allow all the living areas and rooms to face the garden and gain access to natural light.

A garage, flanked in natural stone and black charred timber, forms the street-facing frontage. 

The stone runs the length of this wing on the lower level, above which an exposed, perforated concrete eave leads the way to the living spaces at the back. 

The façade of the living area presents as a concrete box with a timber deck leading to the garden.

Behind the garage sits the guest bedroom with ensuite and behind that, the rumpus room which acts as a private guest living area if needed. 

Independent access is available through the side or the front garden via the rumpus. 

Upstairs features three children’s bedrooms and a bathroom. 

On the opposite wing is the parents’ retreat, which also enjoys front-yard views, and completes the C-shape.

Internally, an exposed concrete plate wall is a feature of the living room, which provides contrast and texture against the stucco fireplace and polished concrete floor. 

This also forms the wall on the other side of the master suite’s walk-in-robe and ensuite.

A second exposed concrete plate wall accompanies the floating-tread staircase, which has a custom recessed handrail in concrete and timber with built-in lighting. 

This wall is also exposed in the rumpus room on the other side. 

Hidden behind kitchen joinery are the pantry, laundry and powder room.

With its simple form and use of robust materials, where exposed concrete offsets the free-form stone and the black charred timber cladding, this house presents boldly and confidently both inside and out.

Story by: Trendsideas