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Buhrich House / 375 Edinburgh Rd Castlecrag
Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy Clive & Neil Buhrich
This exquisite house at
Castlecrag is a seminal work of
Hugh and Eva Buhrich.
Trained in Germany, they arrived
as refugees in Australia in 1939,
but it was 1948 before they
completed their first home in
Castlecrag. This second family
home, tucked into the sandstone
cliff face at Sugarloaf Point, was
designed and built by Hugh from
1968 to 1972. He lived here until
his death in 2004 and family
members still live in this, now
internationally recognised, house.
It is a complete design,
meticulously detailed from
structure to furniture, as
shown in drawings held by
the State Library of NSW.
Uncompromisingly modern,
with extraordinary floating
concrete panels and cantilevers,
this house has a handmade
quality displaying a consummate
mastery of, and love for, materials
and the site.
The small, modest house feels
spacious and expansive, inviting
the landscape inside. The design
pushed structural limits with
concrete seeming to defy gravity.
The simple north-east edge of
glass sliding doors is dramatised
by the low sloping ceiling and
narrow open balcony perched
over the glistening water below.
Creativity meets practicality in
the wave shaped ceiling of steam
bent cedar, reclaiming the space
between trusses for the required
ceiling heights in the elevated
kitchen and dining spaces and
forming a delightful interplay of
light and landscape.
The design directly expresses
its materials: concrete with
carefully chosen aggregates, the
cantilevered spiral stair, warm
timbers, rich rockface sandstone,
plywood and leather chairs, the
red moulded fibreglass bathroom
and a wall tapestry made by
Hugh. Minor alterations are
respectful and complementary.
Experiencing this home in its
setting is a unique pleasure - full
of light and warmth, joy, and
beauty.
PROJECT TEAM
Practice Team:
Hugh Buhrich
Project Architect
Clive Buhrich
Project Architect:
Stage 2 alterations
Established 2003
Following on from similar awards in America, England and New Zealand, the 25
Year Award was renamed the Award for Enduring Architecture with past winners
including the Sydney Opera House.
AWARD FOR ENDURING ARCHITECTURE
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