Sydney-based architecture studio Trias designed Three Piece House for a Newcastle couple that was looking to downsize. The resulting topographic site comprises two main pavilions and a studio arranged around two courtyards, one street facing and one secluded at the rear of the corner lot.

Modesty and sustainability were at the fore, with design decisions defined by a spirit of “less but better.” Materials that offer value and longevity won out, beginning with bricks reclaimed from the existing, unremarkable 1940’s bungalow. Flood controls dictated that the building had to be raised, and rather than opt for the conventional stilts, the architects used the old bricks to build a solid elevation. This lends the house unexpected heft and security despite its windswept coastal setting, a gesture that’s inherently sustainable and a touch romantic – the new structure resting upon the bones of the old.

Brick paths lead the way into the house and appear again inside, paving the sheltered bridge slash ‘reading room’ that links the two pavilions. The bridge catches the northern light in winter, and the brick reaps the benefits of thermal mass. The main pavilions were designed with a clear purpose, one for the living and the other for sleeping. Rooms are modestly proportioned, the architects having pulled the house away from site boundaries, resisting the temptation to build bigger.

Generous raked ceilings and a fresh, minimal palette of timber floors and crisp white walls combat the modest size. Expansive windows are utilized for maximum habitation, with extended ledges giving the option of a window seat. The budget was distributed thoughtfully on details that improve the client’s daily life, such as a series of pendant lights suspended in corners, and brass fixtures for tactility.

Despite its efforts in unpretentiousness, Three Piece House has a lux looking bathroom. A wide walk-in shower features a tiled bench seat and brass-framed built-in nook. Aesop on the countertops very much fits the whole aesthetic.

Externally, skillion forms are clad in radially sawn Silvertop Ash, a highly resource conscious material. A low earthen-red rendered wall curves around the house, colour matched to the recycled brick and the rusted reds of passing coal ships. Native groundcover will partially obscure the wall over time, allowing the house to age gracefully amongst its environment.

[Images courtesy of TRIAS. Photography by Benjamin Hosking.]