PROJECT OVERVIEW
Custom single-storey home in Katoomba, designed to respond to bushfire, overland flow and environmental site constraints, with DA documentation currently in preparation.
Location: Katoomba, NSW
Project Type: Custom New Home
Council: Blue Mountains City Council
Approval: DA Documentation in Progress
PROJECT GALLERY
THE BRIEF
The brief was to create a comfortable single-storey home that made efficient use of the available site while responding to the property's environmental and planning constraints. The proposed home includes three bedrooms, a study, open-plan kitchen, family and dining areas, separate sitting space, master suite and covered car parking. Rather than treating the site constraints as something to resolve after the design was developed, the location of the dwelling, floor level and construction approach have been considered from the early concept stages.
THE DESIGN RESPONSE
Flooding and overland water movement became a major consideration during the early investigation of the property. Council's existing mapping identifies part of the land within the Flood Planning Area. Further investigation by the civil engineer also identified existing drainage infrastructure through the area, requiring additional survey information and detailed flood modelling to properly understand how water moves through the site. The design therefore proposes an elevated floor level with a suspended concrete slab supported on a framed substructure and piers, reducing reliance on conventional slab-on-ground construction and allowing the design to respond more appropriately to potential overland flow. The house has also been kept predominantly low and single-storey, with a simple pitched metal roof, rendered masonry walls, feature stonework and a raked ceiling through the main living area. Because the property is bushfire-prone, bushfire requirements are also being incorporated into the DA design.
PROJECT OUTCOME
The Katoomba House is currently progressing through DA documentation preparation. The project demonstrates how early investigation of flooding, bushfire and environmental constraints can directly influence the design and construction approach of a new home rather than being treated simply as approval requirements at the end of the process.