The view from the latest concrete floor slab pour on our new project at Vaucluse . This project is a contemporary design but next door to the Heritage project for which we won the Mayors Award last year in the Woollahra Design Excellence Awards 2019.
Coppins - Pymble ( Sydney ) . The sunken garden - original design believed to have been by Marion Mahony Griffin after Walter had left for India - researched by Colleen Morris and recently restored as part of our project by Paul Bangay #marionmahonygriffin #heritagelandscapes#paulbangay
Coppins ( Pymble ) the ingenious fireplace below the stair designed by Eric Pratten ( the original owner ) in conjunction with Architect John Suttor when the original 1935 Griffin designed stairway was altered in the 1940's . The balustrade to the changed stair was then constructed in a Georgian style with turned timber balusters . Our research in conjunction with GBA Heritage showed that it was not possible to return the stair to the original squared plan layout designed by Walter and Marion in 1935 and so we encased the turned balusters in painted plasterboard and stained timber veneer plywood to at least respect the original 1930's era of the Griffin design even if not their design . The NSW State Heritage Division approved and respected our aims to sensitively re interpret the stair that was previously and irretrievably changed from the Griffin design after World War 2 . Eric Pratten the owner for whom the house was originally designed by the Griffins was an Engineer / Businessman and was responsible for the design of the operating fireplace in the altered stair with a masonry flue that went cleverly under the the stair and up to the external wall on the other side of the stair - a brilliant concept !!! #prattenhouse #walterburleygriffin #marionmahonygriffin #griffinhouses #heritagearchitecture
Joining the sea gulls for an early morning coffee and croissant from Sonoma Bakery at Rose Bay - on my way to Vaucluse for our weekly 7 am Site Meeting
Coppins at Pymble ( Sydney ) one of the last houses to be designed by Walter Burley & Marion Mahony Griffin in Australia and seen through to completion by their partner Eric Nicholls - a great honour for me to be involved in its recent restoration by new owners after many years of sad neglect of this State Listed Heritage Item The restoration team included us ( Architecture ) ,GBA Heritage ( Research ) Partridge Partners ( Structural ) , Paul Bangay (Landscape ) Blainey North ( Interiors ) #walterburleygriffin #marionmahonygriffin #ericnichollsarchitect #paulbangay #blaineynorth
The Curtain rises on Sydney Harbour - a night at the Opera House last month to see La Traviata - most enjoyable and splendid scenes both inside and outside the House
Vaucluse project - Gabled balcony and verandah 108 years old - Belvedere to the right new & under construction - Palm Tree and Frangipani timeless and hanging in there through the construction to be part of the new terraced gardens on completion
A last look at the cantilevered scaffolding on our Vaucluse project before it is removed . This part of the scaffolding was very cleverly constructed by our Builder ( Hipac )when the owner of the adjoining house (seen below ) did not want any supports located on the rock face below on the property boundary- a tight site challenge for scaffolding #scaffolding #steep sites
Sunrise from our window overlooking the park at our new office in Beecroft greeted me when I was in early this morning - inspiration for the rest of the day
