About our aspirations
Glyde_Bautovich are architects, urban designers and planners who work together and separately to transform resources, regulations, programs, and ideas into places of beauty.
We believe in the ‘spirit of place’ or genius loci and passionately engage in the art of making meaningful places of distinctive character through a careful process.
We research and analyse client aspirations, economics, demographics, urban structure, history, building typologies and appropriate precedents.
We re-use and revisit these layers that are beneath the surface to inform an appropriate outcome.
The place becomes a palimpsest set within its context.
The experience of the public space, what makes the city or place stick together, becomes rich, activated and vital.
Our analysis feeds into the architectural process which becomes form driven whereby we mould the fabric of the building to engage with nature, capture light and air, in a way that we know will lead to joyful inhabitation.
We breath in information, aspirations and breath out a new space or building as an offering to the people of the city and those who occupy them.
About our aspirations
Glyde_Bautovich are architects, urban designers and planners who work together and separately to transform resources, regulations, programs, and ideas into places of beauty.
We believe in the ‘spirit of place’ or genius loci and passionately engage in the art of making meaningful places of distinctive character through a careful process.
We research and analyse client aspirations, economics, demographics, urban structure, history, building typologies and appropriate precedents.
We re-use and revisit these layers that are beneath the surface to inform an appropriate outcome.
The place becomes a palimpsest set within its context.
The experience of the public space, what makes the city or place stick together, becomes rich, activated and vital.
Our analysis feeds into the architectural process which becomes form driven whereby we mould the fabric of the building to engage with nature, capture light and air, in a way that we know will lead to joyful inhabitation.
We breath in information, aspirations and breath out a new space or building as an offering to the people of the city and those who occupy them.
Old South Head Road Apartments
Bellevue Hill, Sydney
Our design for this site was primarily a reaction to the minimal separation and overlooking from neighbouring apartment buildings to the east and west. By carving out courtyards to the middle of the building meant we did not have to rely on these boundaries as much for views, light and air.
The courtyards allow acoustic privacy between apartments but also space for wing/ear walls to protrude allowing views to the garden and the northern sun to penetrate deeply into the building without resulting in overlooking. The off form concrete wing walls have full height glazing and in order to comply with fire regulations. These windows are staggered and vertically offset between each floor. The staggered protrusions into the space offer a quiet poetic ambience to the facades as the sun moves overhead. The variations in the concrete surface further accentuating shadow and light. The long narrow finger like living room spaces on either side of the courtyard minimises bulky mass presented to the northern neighbours.
The courtyard is densely planted to emphasise the slim vertical forms sitting within a garden setting.
The lack of vertical structure to the cantilevered balconies, which are open on three sides, minimises the obstruction of winter sun. Their generous size allows them to act as outdoor rooms sitting within the landscape.
Consideration was given on how to bring an experience of the ocean into the building. The open ends of common area corridors and the staircases connect to the experience of living by the sea by the sense of smell. Vertical screens help mediate privacy while allowing glimpses of the water beyond to create a comfortable balance between being inside and outside.
The tall vertical blades to the street front are of a scale that relates to the fig tree that overhangs the site and the street. These asymmetrically tapered elements softening and congealing with the form of the tree.
The use of real timber panels on the street facade pay further homage to these majestic trees.
The materials used reflect the manner in which they were constructed. Pre-finished cement and timber panels with expressed gaps and exposed fixings, off form concrete showing the scars of construction, silver travertine floors, timber joinery and galvanised steel open fire stairs are all unpainted and natural and will clearly mark the passage of time and help the building create a sense of place both from the inside and outside.