tribe studio's mosman house II expressed as floating, charred volume

tribe studio architects presents its newly completed mosman house II, a residential renovation along the north shore of sydney. robust and contemporary, the design expresses raw materials and meticulous detailing to completely conceal the original bones of the 1920s-built bungalow within. the dwelling sits in a prime location looking outward to sydney’s middle harbour to the north and chinaman’s beach in mosman. with the transformation of mosman house II, the design team preserves the nostalgic residential character while elevating its architectural language.

images by javier saiz | @javier_saiz

with its mosman house II, tribe studio architects transforms a typical, pre-existing dwelling. along a previous cape cod roof extension, the team introduces a new garden level which appears as a solid, hovering concrete band. a new black volume sits within this garden, avoiding the obstruction of views outward through proportional tricks to reduce the house’s sense of scale. charred and blackened timber cladding creates a strong silhouette against the sky, and a recessive backdrop to the planting. the resulting home has an inversion in the sense of gravity and scale.

toward the interior of its mosman house II, tribe studio architects delineates the upper and lower floors. the two levels host the private and public areas respectively — the top floor houses the private sleeping and bathing areas, with curated and screened views outward to the harbor. at the ground level, the team employs an operable glazed perimeter to design a new open living space, which includes an indoor and outdoor kitchen, living areas that face outward toward the view and sun, all engaging with landscape, pool and water.

hannah tribe, principal of tribe studio architects comments: ‘our challenge was to create a new architectural language that was more responsive to this beautiful site within an existing envelope. our client grew up in this house and now raises her own family there, so we wanted to keep a warm homey and neighborly feeling in an area that has become dominated by high privacy walls and fierce garage doors, while also applying a strong organizational rigor to an otherwise unwieldy house. our aim was for this house to really reach its full potential, reflecting the natural beauty surrounding it.’