Architects: Luigi Rosselli Architects
Area: 303 m²
Year: 2014
Photography: Justin Alexander, Edward Birch
Lead Architects: Luigi Rosselli
Project Team: Simon Hassall
Landscaper: Secret Gardens
Structural & Hydraulic Consultant: Rooney & Bye Pty, Ltd.
Interior Designer: Romaine Alwill / Alwill Interiors
Builder: Sydcon Building Services Pty, Ltd.
City: Sydney
Country: Australia
Martello Tower Home, designed by Luigi Rosselli in Sydney, features contemporary additions to a mid-20th-century brick house built between the late 1950s and early 1960s. Completed in 2014, the project is situated on the highest point of a ridge overlooking Sydney’s Middle Harbour and incorporates signature elements such as a sandstone base, whitewashed walls, and aerofoil vertical louvres next to “log-cabin” exterior wall cladding. Enhancing the home’s structure and aesthetics, the design includes an elliptical stair lightwell and Mediterranean Blur interiors by Romaine Alwill, creating a luminous family home.
The front of the house features a lightwell containing an elliptical stair, framed by the sandstone Martello Tower entry porch. This partially ruined structure opens up to horizontal whitewashed concrete beams and rooflines, completing the new street elevation.
Gentle alterations to the existing house have preserved ninety-five percent of the original structure, including the 1950s sandstone fireplace in the lounge. Additions to the front and a new lower ground floor level at the back have enlivened its previously bland appearance. Internally, the interiors created by Romaine Alwill incorporate the client’s favorite Mediterranean Blue color into a timeless palette, resulting in a comfortable and luminous family home designed to last another 50 years.
Martello Towers are small defensive forts built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Clontarf, Sydney, New South Wales 2093, Sydney
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
