2022 National Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New)

Jury citation

Part of a growing lineage of projects produced by Trias that carefully explore questions of domesticity and materiality, Curl Curl House is a further study in rigorous civic strategy and craft. Generated by the nature of its corner site, the structure of the plan is bracketed by two brick “towers” that hold the communal realm of the house in relation to the garden and its wider context. This strategy is fundamentally a diagram of togetherness, where the life of a family, and its personal and public needs, are scaffolded by a carefully ordered plan.

Exemplary in its tectonic resolution, Curl Curl House prioritizes longevity and durability. Deep reveals and screened thresholds are ingeniously located to provide depth for shading, joinery and occupation. Hardwood is used to elongate thresholds and brass channels are carefully delineated to control the patina of weathering over time.

The jury was impressed by the strong environmental goals of the project, which enrich the poetic aspirations of the architectural outcome. The calm internal atmosphere of the house is understated and marvellously calibrated. The interior offers both a domestic realm grounded by communal life and spaces of deep solace.

Project credits

Architect Trias; Project team Jonathon Donnelly, Jennifer McMaster, Casey Bryant; Builder Avalon Constructions; Structural engineer SDA Structures; Landscape consultant Lindy Hulton Larson; Interior designer Folk Studio

Curl Curl House is located in Curl Curl, New South Wales on the land of the Garigal people.