hen looking at architecture it is easy to forget the complex
problem-solving that is at its heart. Facades, finishes and
furnishings capture our eyes, and yet behind these elements
are weeks and months of communication, negotiation,
planning, testing and correction. The Bellevue Hill House IV by
Popov Bass presents to the world a tailored and sophisticated face –
as would be expected. However, its genesis tackled the very real and
increasingly relevant issue of how to design a home that allows for
itsownerstocontinueliving in and enjoying it as they age. Add to
the mix an extensive art collection, two large protected trees and a
sloping site, and you have complex problem-solving at its best.
Located in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill, the house occupies a sloping
site and t he desig n took many of its cues f rom t he prev ious st ruc t ure,
particularly in relation to the levels. The organizing principle of the
scheme refers to two key aspects that determined the planning and
the architectural expression: mobility access (both horizontal and
vertical) and the dialogue between the house and the two existing
mature jacaranda trees, one at the front of the house and one at the
rear. The brief required that all levels and all rooms of the house
be designed to allow for full mobility access. While this is not
currently an issue for the clients, they had a clear aim to “remain in
this house for as long as possible.” Each level of the house is zoned
programmatically, with the car access and entrance on the lower
ground level, guest quarters on the garden level, formal entry and
living spaces on the rear garden level and study/sleeping spaces on
the upper. The thresholds between inside and outside spaces are on
grade, and door widths and bathrooms are designed to accommodate
future mobility aids. Independent carer’s quarters have also been
included in the design so that if this need eventuates, the facilities
are already there.
The horizontal compartmentalization of the design and the
inclusion of a lift meant that the use of a grand staircase as a major
tectonic/spatial device was redundant. To avoid the risk of a stacked
plan, Popov Bass included a double-height void in the formal living
room. The curved geometry of this void was generated from the
position of the jacaranda tree at the front. The geometry marks and02 The organic, curved
geometry of the double-
height void mirrors the
distinctive expression of the
house’s roof. Artwork (L-R):
Michael Johnson; Peter
Kingston; Ann Thomson.03 The mezzanine is bound
by a study and library with
direct visual connection to
the garden and jacaranda
tree. Artwork (L-R): Michael
Johnson; Michael Johnson;
Sonia Delaunay; Aida
Tomescu (lower level).02