LIGHT & CONCRETE: INSIDE CRONULLA HOUSE

December 24, 2015

We were introduced to the incredible work of architect Reg Lark via our home shoot with Emma Swann of Recreational Studio.

While we were and are utterly enamoured with the artefacts and treasured that Em and her husband Paul have collected over the years, we were blown away by the converted warehouse designed by Lark and his team. Click over and have a look and you’ll see what we mean.

From there we got pulled into a Reg Lark architecture vortex. His houses each unique but all sporting his now trademarked use of minimalist polished concrete and artfully exposed fixtures.

His Cronulla House is no exception and we were so happy when we were invited to come by and see it up close.

Interview with Reg Lark
“The brief was to provide living space that connects with Cronulla beach & the Cronulla lifestyle, a children’s domain and a parents domain. Bright, light and modern.”

“One of the biggest challenges was finding a way to make the house sit comfortably on a very prominent and busy traffic and pedestrian street corner. How to accommodate 3 living domains for family, parents, children and guest, each with their own separated outdoor spaces, on a small narrow block of 6M x 30M.”

“Favourite section is the outdoor living room on the 1st. floor, designed to allow outdoor living all year round. This space catches the breeze, sun and outlook to Cronulla beach with an adjustable screen to the street opening and closing up as required. The top level parents bedroom being ‘sunk’ into the living space below providing zones within an open plan for living, dining and outdoor living.”

“I love the simplicity, structure, planning and minimalism of industrial buildings. They have no tacked on, self conscious decoration & they allow for flexible use of their spaces. Simple, clean, inexpensive building.”

“I take a great deal of influence from my travels through the Greek Islands and seeing how their buildings adapt to their climate, landscape & culture.

Solid with small openings in the colder climates and opening up in hotter landscapes. I walked through so many buildings in my travels that were built by locals from local materials and by people that understood how they engage with the environment. I try to achieve that in my work.

The Greek islands are my favourite place, if a winding pathway is tight some corners are just rounded off, a stair way had it’s steps narrow getting wider towards the top so you could more easily walk beside it at it’s lower level, as you climbed the stair the treads widened becoming more secure and not requiring a hand rail – perfect.”

Everything is white washed after the cycle of the 4 seasons and homes provide for outdoor living so well with hand made clay walls and in a lot of cases are cut into the hill side, so cool in summer & warm in winter and connect to the outside beautifully.”

“I love the simplicity, structure, planning and minimalism of industrial buildings. They have no tacked on, self conscious decoration and they allow for flexible use of their spaces. Simple, clean, inexpensive building.”

“When it comes to uniquely Australian architecture, I think in the past people have often copied from elsewhere around the world. I believe you can call architecture Australian if it evokes a sense of its place, it belongs there, it takes full advantage of our light, bright climate and lifestyle and doesn’t have to look like the house next door.”