Design Overview
Pamela House is a contemporary custom acreage home concept for a sloping BAL-FZ (Flame Zone) property in Kenthurst, within Sydney's Hills District. The design combines multi-level living, stone and timber finishes and expansive glazing, while addressing significant bushfire exposure from surrounding bushland.
Client Approved Concept Design - The Hills Shire Council
More About This Project
The Brief
Contemporary Acreage Home on a Challenging Bushfire-Prone Site in Kenthurst
Pamela House is a concept design for a contemporary family home in Kenthurst, on a sloping acreage property surrounded by bushland in The Hills District.
The owners wanted a substantial modern home with generous family living areas, impressive ceiling heights and a strong connection to the surrounding landscape.
The property presented two important challenges. The natural slope influenced how the home could be arranged, while the nearby forest created significant bushfire construction requirements.
The owners also wanted a sense of space within the main living areas. An early idea was to incorporate a sunken lounge, but this raised concerns about having too many steps interrupting the flow between rooms.
The challenge was to achieve the open, spacious feeling they wanted while developing a practical layout suited to the land and its bushfire exposure.
The Design Response
Designing Around the Sloping Acreage Site
We developed a contemporary multi-level design that responds to the property's natural ground levels. The arrangement of the different building levels was considered alongside the surrounding landscape, allowing the architecture to work with the site's slope.
Stone feature walls, timber detailing and contemporary building forms give the home a distinctive appearance suited to its acreage setting.
Addressing Preliminary BAL-FZ Flame Zone Requirements
One of the most significant issues was the bushfire exposure from the bushland to the north of the property.
A specialist preliminary bushfire assessment was undertaken to establish how the surrounding vegetation affected the site's development potential, which revealed substantial areas of Flame Zone (BAL-FZ).
Creating Higher Ceilings Without Interrupting the Living Areas
During the early design discussions, we explored the possibility of incorporating a sunken lounge to create a more dramatic living space. However, the additional steps created difficulties with movement between the rooms.
Instead, we investigated achieving a ceiling height of at least 3.5 metres on the main living level, creating the sense of volume the owners wanted without introducing unnecessary changes in floor level.
Developing the Contemporary Architecture Through 3D Visualisation
We prepared concept plans and 3D visualisations to illustrate the home's building forms, external finishes and relationship with the sloping site.
The concept combines stone, timber and extensive glazing to create a contemporary architectural appearance.
Project Outcome
Custom Acreage Home Concept Design | Kenthurst, The Hills Shire Council
Pamela House has progressed through preliminary design development, with concept plans and 3D visualisations prepared for the proposed new home.
The design responds to the owners' preference for generous, high-ceiling living spaces while considering the natural slope and surrounding bushland.
The preliminary bushfire assessment has identified Flame Zone construction as a major requirement to address in the next stages of design and approval.
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