CONSERVATION WITH NEW WORKS
1994 – 1997
Rose Bay Cottage is the oldest surviving house on the former Cooper estate at Salisbury Road, Rose Bay. It was conceived by the renowned colonial architect John Verge in 1834 as a single-storey cottage fronting the harbour. Many later alterations were made – most damaging of which was the 1913 subdivision of the grounds and a first-floor addition of 1917 which facilitated the conversion of the whole complex into thirteen flats.
Design 5 – Architects stripped back all intrusive accretions and retained as much original fabric as possible. The completed project is a subtle and elegant blend of carefully conserved early 19th century architecture, with late 20th century domestic technology. It has revealed the quality, integrity and scale of the earlier work, while giving the cottage a new life as a modern residence. Design 5 – Architects worked with a landscape architect to create a new garden based on traditional 19th century garden design which has restored an appropriate setting and context for the buildings.
AWARDS
1997 RAIA (National) Lachlan Macquarie Award for Conservation