Casa Risata living room with white joinery, a timber wall and a fireplace

Casa Risata, Balgowlah

Casa Risata transformed a single dilapidated house into three separate residences for MacCormick Architects and Aurae, each stepping back up the block to capture views towards Manly and North Head.

It was a complex piece of residential development, the foundations starting from a shared basement car park excavated directly into the sandstone, with lifts running up to each dwelling above.

Details
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
3
Year Completed
2024
Casa Risata street facade with curved white balconies, timber soffits and olive trees
Dining table beside a marble island at Casa Risata, opening to the lawn and garden
Bathroom with a freestanding bath, mosaic wall and a timber stool
Timber door with a round brass handle beside a white brick wall
Marble mosaic shower wall with a stone shelf holding soap
Round mirror above a marble vanity with a trailing plant
Curved white textured wall beside the kitchen, under a timber ceiling
Brass handrail on a curved white stair wall
Arched timber soffit framing the sky at Casa Risata
Timber screened entry stair at Casa Risata with a timber ceiling and sandstone steps

Rather than a flat slab, FS Hough built the project on large structural concrete beams throughout, meaning every recess for future fit-off, including vanities and fixtures, had to be planned into the concrete pour itself, with no room for error. With stringent Class 2 fire separation requirements between the dwellings, we also navigated this crucial stage of compliance and detail. Our team delivered an interior palette built around enduring, earthy materials with broad appeal: solid timber flooring and hardwood battening for warmth and texture, marble, brass tapware and architectural lighting for a sense of luxury, and a bagged, textured brick finish externally. The homes were built around their own courtyards and garden spaces, with bathrooms designed to draw in natural light via skylights.

Landing just after Covid and battling two years of near-constant rain and real budget pressure, the project tested FS Hough's resilience as much as its technical skill. The result is three considered homes standing where one once stood: robust on the outside, warm and luxurious within.

Lawn and timber fence beside the living room at Casa Risata
Kitchen window opening to a balcony with a view over the rooftops to the water
Open plan living room with a timber wall, marble island and a pale sofa
Kitchen and living room opening to the covered terrace at Casa Risata
Casa Risata rear elevation with a breeze block screen above the living room
Collaborators
  • Architecture by MacCormick Architects
  • Interiors by Aurae Architecture
  • Structural Engineering by SDA Structures
  • Hydraulic Engineering by ITM Design
  • Civil Engineering by NB Consulting
  • Landscape by Melissa Wilson Landscape Architects
  • Photography by Katherine Lu
  • Styling by Carina Koch
Curved white balcony and timber screened entry stair beneath a palm at Casa Risata
FS Hough