Houses Australia — February 2018

09

box opens up to a roof garden, helping Long

Courtyard House connect to nature, despite

its gritty urban context.

However, the project’s most compelling

design expression is its robust material

palette. “Materiality is really important

in every Scale Architecture project,” notes

Matt. “And with this one, the choice

of materials was based on the design

outcome.” Concrete gives the span required

for the large courtyard-facing opening,

provides thermal mass for the ground-floor

living areas and creates the base for the roof

garden. It’s undoubtedly high functioning,

yet also complements the existing brick

boundary wall that’s exposed within the

new addition, adding texture and colour

to an otherwise neutral scheme.

Matt’s latest project, Cricket Pitch

House, features a brick exterior punctuated

by blackened steel window frames. It’s a new

build that takes the north-facing courtyard

in Long Courtyard House and reinterprets

it as a side yard. Cricket Pitch House is

impressive in form, with a diagonal roof

ridge and four different facades that each

respond to their orientation. Internally,

windows and skylights add a sense of

angularity to the scheme, which is offset

by honey-coloured timber flooring,

kitchen joinery and a series of partitions.

Like all of Matt’s work, it’s driven by

concept rather than aesthetics and so the

result is extremely efficient and visually

refined. He believes in making good design

affordable without compromising on

quality. “This is harder than ever and has

become a challenge, but we never set out

to make design an exclusive thing for people

with money.” Scale Architecture is currently

involved in the Nightingale Housing social

enterprise as an architectural practice

licensed to establish this ecologically,

socially and financially sustainable model

in New South Wales. His private residential

portfolio also continues to expand,

with clients drawn to his design-based

approach to contemporary urban living.

Matt has mastered the art of solutions-

focused architecture and hardworking,

intuitive design.

scalearchitecture.com

2017

Cricket Pitch House

• SYDNEY, NSW •