Cart 
Bridge to Terabithia is a much-loved children’s novel and adapted film where two schoolkids create an imaginary kingdom as their escape from everyday life.
While the emotive storyline might be famous for making people cry, the novel’s enchanted setting served as inspiration behind CplusC’s latest project: Terabithia House, a new home for a family of four in Sydney’s Northbridge.
The initial plan was to reimagine the clients’ existing Federation-era house, with a special focus on improved living spaces, energy efficiency, and sustainable design. But with immense modifications and high costs required to salvage the building’s poor condition, the renovation shifted to a total rebuild.
Instead, existing sandstone footings were salvaged and re-used for landscaping; original dry pressed bricks were salvaged for re-use; the Oregon roof structure was used for construction works.
‘Connection to the garden, the swimming pool and the views, whilst gaining access to sunlight and cross ventilation were the primary “must haves”,’ CplusC managing director and principal architect Clinton Cole says of the brief.
Starting from scratch also meant they could create a home that was a little bit extraordinary, with quirky features designed to bring the family together.
One of these is the butterfly-shaped, corrugated steel roof, which features an oculus cut that opens like an ‘eye to the sky’. This opening brings in natural light to the iridescent-tiled swimming pool below, conveniently located directly adjacent to the living area inside.
Stepping down into the kitchen and dining, sliding glass doors maximise views across the Middle Harbour, while a spiral yellow staircase leads up to the bedrooms on the third floor.
A series of circular windows throughout adds to the home’s whimsical personality, and there’s even a cargo net suspended above the pool — a playful detail CplusC often utilises in projects for young families.
‘It is perfectly placed to allow sunlight, play, reading and lounging space for the family and friends, and can be engaged with whether in adjacent spaces or below the netting,’ Clinton adds.
In addition to being energy self-sufficient with a 13.28-kilowatt solar system on the roof, and rainwater tanks with a total capacity of 10,000 litres, the house features a ‘second skin’ that filters in natural light and breezes. Lightweight fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) forms a translucent, jade-coloured privacy screen, enclosing the facade, walkways, and the immersive pool.
Terabithia House proves how a house doesn’t have to be simple to be sustainable. In fact, much like the fantastical kingdom of the same name, the house is a sanctuary for creativity, courage, and connection.
