Topper’s Mountain Wines is located in Tingha, Northern NSW. More information on the cellar door can be found here.

Winner of the 2018 NSW Country Division Architecture Awards, Small Project category. Images by Brett Boardman.

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The panel said of the shelter: This small and perfectly formed building punches well above its weight. Sitting to the north of an existing house in the beautiful but sometimes harsh landscape of the New England Tablelands, it provides protection from the elements for people to sit, gather, eat and much more. The simple palette of brick and timber is elegantly detailed, creating a refined refuge. The expressed construction and raw finishes are considered and appropriate. The structure is offset, opening up the corners and allowing the roof to float. The exposed rafter tails are painted white, as if dipped, protecting them from the weather and matching the painted lining boards on the soffit. The hit and miss brick, fine timber slats and paired timber posts let the building breathe, moderate the sun and provide a place in the lee of the wind while thoughtfully framing the surroundings. The clear design of a garden pavilion has been skilfully realised and beautifully built. The architect has not imposed a preconceived idea onto the client and site, but rather listened carefully and responded appropriately with a simple, refined and elegant building that is poetic.

See press and more images of the Armidale Refuge prospect below:

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Wong-See's project Armidale Refuge/Prospect competing in Australian Institute of Architects’ NSW Country Division Awards 

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2018 NSW Country Division Architecture Awards announced 

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Wong-See receives award in NSW Country Division Architecture Awards

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Awards catalogue 

This inner city Sydney home needed total renovation and a feeling of space. A two level terrace for a small family, outdoor and kitchen areas were important. 

Focusing on sustainable design, the renovation retained the home’s existing privacy, yet creating a sense of openness. The rear of the house was opened to make room for a compact professional kitchen which leads seamlessly into the courtyard. The courtyard then leads into a laundry and bathhouse, a valued sanctuary for rest and relaxation. From the bathhouse, the property has direct access to the park it backs onto. 

The upper floor master bedroom was updated, its balcony now overlooking the park. A contemporary bathroom is also on the second floor. A lantern-style loft was added as a small third floor for additional space and potential third bedroom. 

Influenced by Japanese architecture, particularly its favouring of natural materials, the Hegarty House is a zen-like refuge for its inhabitants from a busy inner city life. 

A total renovation of the upper three levels of a brick house in Port Hacking. The work opened the main living areas out to the view, and created more outdoor living spaces for the family.

Glebe House in inner-city Sydney is a small, energy efficient terrace-style house on an undersized lot. It exists in a densely populated and historic part of Sydney. The tiny, 123 metre square subdivision read “as rare as hens teeth” on the real estate advertising. We set the building back from the street in order to take advantage of the northerly aspect with a sun filled courtyard paved with recycled bricks. This space doubles as off street parking as required by council, and allowed maximum solar gain to the six metre wide site. The house itself is 4.2 metres wide internally, and 15 metres long. 

As per our multi-stage construction philosophy, the project was completed in two stages. The first being the house, and some years later, the front entrance structure off the north facing courtyard providing secure off-street parking, front gate, mailbox and pedestrian entry. 

Sustainability includes the reuse of materials or, a material’s ability to be recycled once it has served a purpose in the event of renovation or demolition. We aim to keep geometry fairly simple and conventional, effectively reducing waste of materials during construction and in the event of appliance replacement. In particular, joinery is pared back and minimalistic to avoid interference in building and appliance maintenance as everything is independent of each other, like pieces of furniture. There is a raw aesthetic as with materials and finishes kept to a minimum. 

The contrast between industrially processed materials and finishes, when balanced with handmade items and tactile surfaces encourages visual warmth to the interior. 

The semi-commercial style kitchen is generous in relation to the house. With one of the owners working in the food industry, the kitchen is often the centre of activity, and was a focal point to the design. 

In any building we design, we have three view lengths in mind: there is the intimate intermediate space with varying levels of adjustable enclosure; then, the middle ground such as the courtyard in the Glebe House; and then, the long view linking the house to the spire of the Abbey with its trees and sky to the north.

This house has very low maintenance requirements, and will hopefully remain in use for many years to come, as we consider longevity to be one of the best measures of a sustainable building. 

Sydney’s renowned all hand made gallery extended its’ exhibition space into a former rundown laundromat next door. The combined gallery and residence were both updated to create a light filled space. Sydney sandstone and timber floors were restored, achieving cohesion with the organic materials of contemporary Australian studio ceramics.

See press below:

https://www.architectureataltitude.com.au/vogueallhandmade/

https://www.architectureataltitude.com.au/mcgrathallhandmade/

https://www.architectureataltitude.com.au/insideoutstephens/

A tiny vacant block in inner city Glebe was turned into a working studio with bathrooms and prized lower ground parking. Our focus was on sustainable design and materials. Water tanks are utilised on the upper level as there is no additional land for conventional installation.

This small, narrow shop sat empty and disused at the end of a row of food outlets in Armidale’s busy pub strip: Marsh Street.

The concept began as a simple pizza shop with a specific focus: house the wood fired oven, from which a small selection go high quality pizzas would be served, takeaway or dine in. The owners maintain a strong focus on local and organic produce as a means for sustainability.

An interior of predominantly hard surfaces presented acoustic challenges mitigated by fixing sound absorption panels to the low ceiling.

architecture @ altitude set about transforming this space into a comfortable and welcoming interior with materials taken from the showcase pizza oven, suggesting a light industrial aesthetic, creating a robust yet welcoming light filled interior which continues to delight its’ customers.

There is prospect of an experience beyond the ordinary, enriching the lives of those who dine there. Diners continue to express an overwhelming sense of pleasure from this modest building that has transformed a neglected space and brought additional life to the Armidale CBD.

https://www.signorvertelli.com

Images by Jo Meares // Dominique Wong-See

This project began as a fragmented design whereby an old cottage had an unsympathetic addition to the side which had generated multiple levels. The lack of cohesion was addressed by the addition of a new balcony over three levels, not only connecting the interior spaces with the outside, but also extending lower levels into the garden.