Blackwattle Bay Townhouse

Sam Crawford Architects was engaged to expand and personalise the living areas of this existing townhouse on Blackwattle Bay, originally designed by SJB. The intervention on the ground floor removed a central study space, allowing for shifting and expansion of the kitchen, and expansion of the living space. The design also created more room for the clients’ extensive, art, book and object collection, as well as a generous bar.

These changes further enhance the abundance of daylight and generous views of the city skyline and fish-markets, present in the original design. The kitchen has been carefully designed to accommodate the clients’ needs. An expansive island bench, topped with a brass benchtop is the centrepiece of the kitchen. A large pantry can be exposed and hidden behind sliding doors, allowing for both a functional kitchen and sleek aesthetic. This kitchen, and an incorporated bar, transforms the main living space from a practical kitchen and laundry into an entertaining space.

A basement void has been converted into a new study and map reading room for our client (a keen sailor), and a retreat for their teenage daughter. Our design has introduced more daylight and fresh finishes to the bathrooms and stair, and added more storage to the main bedroom.

The Blackwattle Bay Townhouse is on the land of the Wangal and Gadigal Aboriginal Peoples. As a practice, Sam Crawford Architects believes it’s important to acknowledge the history of the land we work on and its traditional owners. The practice is working towards an understanding of these facts and how it might inform their work; however, they acknowledge we have a long way to go.

Blackwattle Bay derives its name from the black wattle trees growing around the bay, used by European settlers for housing construction. Prior to European settlement, the creek which fed the bay was a source of fresh water and fish for Sydney’s Aboriginal people. In the nineteenth century, tanners and slaughter houses fouled the creek and bay. The adjacent industrial land was converted into what is now known as Blackwattle Bay Park, created in 1983 following energetic activism by local residents. The Blackwattle Bay Terrace settles in its context between the city and a pre-settlement riparian landscape.

Project Team
Sam Crawford, Gabrielle Pelletier, Jane Crawford, Matthew Bolton, Annie Vu

Builder
SQ Projects

Consultant Team
Structural Engineer – Cantilever Engineers

Hydraylic Engineer – ITM Design

Mechanical Engineer – Tate Dogan

QS – QS Plus

PCA – Prince Certifiers

Council
City of Sydney

Photographer
Anson Smart