Lee House

This is a reimagining of the traditional Watsons Bay weatherboard cottage from the 1850s.

The historical significance of the surrounding area has influenced the recasting of this derelict fisherman’s cottage into a contemporary permanent home. Whilst modest in size, the building provides for the needs of its inhabitants without a fuss, providing its occupants with a sense of calm and repose. Considerations of light, material, and form were key in developing the interior, which is ordered through an off-form concrete barrier.

The architectural expression from the street would at first glance appear wholly traditional, and in fact could be read as a restoration of an original building. A processional evolution into contemporary material and form along the sides of the building develops the house towards a contemporary expression toward the rear. From the interior a carefully considered sequence of spaces leads to an external landscaped patio from where the architecture of concrete, timber and steel characterise the building as an offering to those who will inhabit this work in the next few generations.

Awards:
AIA National Architecture Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) Commendation
AIA NSW Interior Architecture Award
AIA NSW Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) Award

^{Photos by Rory Gardiner}