Architecture

The Anti-McMansion House

The age of the McMansion-style home has plagued design-lovers across the world for decades. There are entire websites dedicated to them. McMansions even have their own Wikipedia page!

In opposition to the number of generic, gaudy homes going up in Sydney’s north-west area, architect David Boyle designed an antidote. The Riverview House is proof that a practical family home can be functional, elegant and creative all at the same time!

Written
by
Sally Tabart

‘Riverview House’ by David Boyle Architect. Photo – Brett Boardman.

The indoor and outdoor spaces are given equal priority. Photo – Brett Boardman.

Bush surrounds the rear of the property. Photo – Brett Boardman.

Each room is linked, yet have their own distinct identity, Photo – Brett Boardman.

Lofty views in the living room. Photo – Brett Boardman.

That is an EPIC FIREPLACE! Photo – Brett Boardman.

‘Our clients asked for a practical and sustainable family home that takes advantage of the southerly views’, David Boyle explained. Photo – Brett Boardman.

Diverse and creative living spaces interracting. Photo – Brett Boardman.

The Riverview House is nestled within a garden setting. Photo – Brett Boardman.

The house was designed as a reaction to the McMansion-style developments growing in the area. Photo – Brett Boardman.

Looking down to the pool. Photo – Brett Boardman.

‘David explains that ‘the design provides opportunities for the subtleties of light, texture and landscape to be omnipresent in daily life’. Photo – Brett Boardman.

The exterior. Photo – Brett Boardman.

Writer
Sally Tabart
22nd of October 2018

Central Coast-based David Boyle Architects is a multi-award winning practice established in 2002. The Riverview House in Sydney’s north-west earned them a prestigious award for New Residential Architecture in the 2017 New South Wales Architecture Awards. ‘Our clients asked for a practical and sustainable family home that takes advantage of the southerly views’, David explained of the Riverview House. But no boxy builds here! What David and his team have achieved with this unique family home not only meets the client’s functional needs, but also offers exceptional prowess in the creativity of its design.

In response to the prevailing ‘McMansion’ style development in the area, the Riverview House encourages street interaction, nestling organically as a pavilion with a garden setting. The varying volumes flowing throughout the house lend a sense of playfulness here, and creativity is evident in the diversity of every room in the house. Like works in an art exhibition, it’s clear that while each room has its own unique identity, they all belong in the same cohesive narrative.

In the physical heart of the Riverview House’s ‘pinwheel plan’ is the kitchen, however, the ‘symbolic centre of the home’ revolves around the stunning brick fireplace adjoining a sawtooth structure (which looks more like a piece of contemporary art casually sitting in the living room!).

Giving equal priority to both indoor and outdoor spaces, the structure of the home is layered over a series of stepped platforms, which lead to the garden. David explains that ‘the design provides opportunities for the subtleties of light, texture and landscape to be omnipresent in daily life’. A uniquely creative and poetic approach to the suburban family home.

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