Calligraphy and stone: The Books House
The existing rock forms in the backyard have been used to create the pool and a cave, which is used for meditation; the dining room light is Catellani & Smith Lederam S2 from Hub.
A brass stair travels from the living area to the roof. It was created so that the rooftop solar panels can be maintained and, also, so the homeowners can meditate on the roof.
The living room lights are a cluster of Bocci 73.1M Mini Single Pendants; the study is accessed via a pivoting bookshelf.
The elliptical stairwell has oak treads and rails; the bathroom features a curved concrete vanity and oak walls.
The board-formed concrete structure of the house is expressed in the cantilevered floors, which double as balconies, and exposed on the ceilings.
An existing frangipani tree above the pool is accessed via some stairs cut into the rock form.
While its details were surely complex to render, this house has a sense of simplicity and serenity, which its occupants are sure to appreciate.
Balconies are rounded and feature brass railings.
This Sydney home burrows within rocks and reflects its owners’ passion for books and Chinese culture.
Three books stacked haphazardly on top of one another created an unusual basis for the design of this house, dubbed ‘The Books House’ by its architect Luigi Rosselli. The clients, a calligrapher and a businesswoman with Chinese origins living in Sydney, requested a house that reflected the idea of a book pile and referenced one of the architect’s previous designs: a house that has different levels skewed towards various vistas.
Located on the northern side of Sydney Harbour, The Books House takes a similar form to that of the previous one, with each level slightly skewed to take in different views of the harbour. The house is stacked on top of a sandstone form, which makes up the garden walls, garage and lower level.
The board-formed concrete structure and rounded edges of the cantilevered floor levels reflect the forms of the area’s rocky outcrops. The living room is on the upper level in order to be able to open onto a flat piece of land in front of a sandstone rock shelf on this sloped site.
“We hinged the outlook from the living room and the clients’ study towards that rock,” says Rosselli. “The clients wanted something calm to look out on from the study, and the view towards the harbour is beautiful but it is busy with cars and boats and activity. The view out of the back over the pool is calm and serene.”
A pool was excavated into the rock, complete with a cave, which is used for meditation. An existing frangipani tree above the pool is accessed via some stairs cut into the rock form.
Aside from providing the stack of books as inspiration, the home-owners also asked Rosselli to read The Importance of Living (by Lin Yutang), a best-selling, 1930s’ book about the importance of idleness, which also delves into domestic life and Chinese ideas of home layout, décor and furniture usage.
One important learning from this book was the creation of contrast between the building and natural elements, explains Rosselli. “It is important to have a clear differentiation between the two – and the emphasis on the natural cliff in the design is a part of that. The flat surfaces of the terrace and the pool meet the organic shape of the rock. Also, the meandering pathway that leads to the house allows an organic approach, which means you don’t look straight into the front door as you arrive.”
Another cultural aspect can be seen in the design of the kitchen, which includes an enclosed working kitchen to the rear of the more presentable one in the living area. The rear kitchen is where all the cooking is done and it contains smells and mess. In the living room kitchen, the cupboards are flush and appliances are integrated within the cabinetry. It was also culturally important not to have the fireplace in the centre of the house so Rosselli designed it to be along an external wall of the living room.
A finely structured brass staircase is an interesting feature of the living space. This access point to the roof has a glass door at the top and doubles as a skylight. The brass structure is sculptural as well as functional; it creates some screening between the living and dining areas.
The study is lined with bookcases – and is accessed through a swivelling bookshelf door. “The home-owners have a great interest in art, books and music,” explains Rosselli. “With this kind of building, with a good deal of formwork and integrated bookshelves, concrete vanities and basins, we were pleased to have a skilled builder who was up to the task.”
Indeed, the elliptically shaped stairwell that travels through the centre of the house must have been challenging to build as well as to design. This leads to an elliptical hallway with curved doors leading to the bathrooms and bedrooms. A lift provides easy travel from the garage to the upper levels and is accessed through a tunnel that has been cut through the sandstone.
The house is unified by its restrained use of materials, with oak flooring and cabinetry and brass accents providing some warmth against the concrete. While its details were surely complex to render, this house has a sense of simplicity and serenity, which its occupants are sure to appreciate.
