Cluny Park

The main parti is simple – a partial courtyard scheme with living spaces surrounding a swimming pool ‘which serves as both a water feature as well as a focus of family activities'. The public and private zones of the house are well segregated by the different volumes housing three key wings: two living quarters that form a ‘C’ shape in the section, with one floating above the swimming pool (containing the master bedroom and two other bedrooms) and the other resting on a long, granite-clad wall that runs from the front of the house to the rear of the site; the living room that is housed in the third wing. ‘The living room, meant for entertaining, is in a separate floating inverted U-shaped block, visually and spatially linked at the second storey by a glass bridge'. The living room, located by the entry foyer, is designed to receive – and impress – guests. There is a compression of space as one enters from the road and descends to the entrance foyer under a glass bridge (a transition space from the upstairs private zone to the living room). The space expands into the living room – a soaring double-height space that is further accentuated by the change in materials from grey stone and timber to a pure white marbled space'. In addition, a swirling spiral staircase, leading up to the second storey private zones, holds the anchor at the end of this space. The eye is then led beyond the staircase to the view of the glistening swimming pool in the heart of the house. Overall, the house is at one with nature. The roof above the family room block is a blanket of turf, providing a picturesque montage of layered green for the occupants on the second storey, and furthering this man-nature relationship. Aside from the greenery, the house is well designed for plenty of communication. The interlocking spaces create abundant interesting, internal sightlines, which are useful in connecting family members to one another.