The Cliff House occupies one of the most extraordinary sites imaginable. Leaning over the rear boundary, one looks directly down to the Pacific Ocean, some 80 metres below. The outlook stretches more than 180 degrees—an uninterrupted sweep of horizon that is remarkable even by Sydney’s standards.
The house is choreographed to embrace everything the site offers: the vast ocean panorama, the near-constant sea breeze, and the rare sense of privacy to the east. Entry rises gently from the street above a lower-level garage and multi-purpose room. From the entry level—home to a bedroom and a TV/study area—the main living space steps down generously toward the garden and the cliff edge, achieving a dramatic ceiling height of almost four metres.
The living area is wrapped by lush planting to the west and north, creating a green buffer that offers privacy, softens the architecture, and provides evaporative cooling. A variety of operable façade elements allows the house to tune itself to the weather, capturing the ocean breeze at different intensities throughout the day.
The kitchen and pantry sit to one side of the living space, supporting family life by allowing different activities to occur in close proximity without competing for space. Above the pantry, a concealed zone accommodates essential equipment without encroaching on usable floor area.
A generous deck extends from the living area and kitchen, connecting seamlessly to the garden and pool. A barbecue area and outdoor fireplace flank the space, ensuring comfort and usability during the cooler months.
The pool is engineered in response to the site’s unusual geology: the deep end faces the house, while the shallow end sits toward the cliff, a requirement due to the overhanging rock shelf beneath the garden. The pool structure is designed to cantilever should the cliff ever fall away — an event geotechnical experts assure us is at least 10,000 years away.
At the eastern edge of the garden, the natural rock is left exposed, grounding the architecture in its landscape. The balustrade is intentionally open, composed of slender stainless steel rods rather than glass, allowing an unbroken visual and energetic connection to the ocean.
At the centre of the house, a full-height northern courtyard is paired with the lift and stairwell. The glass lift was chosen for its sculptural presence; its slim steel shaft supports both the stair treads and the adjoining glazed façade.
Upstairs, four bedrooms occupy the corners of the plan, each with its own orientation and character. A narrow, intentionally monastic study faces the ocean. Large skylights flood the bathrooms and ensuites with natural light. A generous void along the central corridor visually links the upper and lower levels, reinforcing the sense of cohesion that defines the house.
Facing the street, a large balcony off the two western bedrooms is enclosed by a combination of fanned aluminium louvres and a Kaynemail mesh curtain—a material originally developed for the chainmail costumes in 'The Lord of the Rings'. Together, these screens create a private, shaded, breezy retreat with long views to the west.
All heating and cooling—air conditioning, hot water, hydronic floor heating, and pool heating—is powered by a geothermal system. Energy is drawn from a vertical ground heat exchanger comprising seven 120 metre deep boreholes filled with fluid-charged heat pipes. At the heart of the system is a dual-compressor water-to-water ground source heat pump, roughly the size of a household fridge. This, along with all lighting and electrical needs, is powered by a 25 kW solar PV array paired with three 14.5 kW batteries.
All glazing uses high-performance Insulglass Low‑E Max technology, dramatically improving thermal performance. Lighting is entirely LED, controlled by a Control4 smarthome system that manages lights, blinds, glass louvres, and other operable elements. The house achieves a NatHERS rating of 7.4 stars. Because the heat pump is internal, no external compressors are required for either the pool or the air‑conditioning system. This eliminates noise for occupants and neighbours and protects equipment from the corrosive coastal environment.
Materials—particularly externally—were selected for longevity and resilience: high-strength concrete with marine-grade reinforcement, anodised aluminium, 316 stainless steel, and glass, complemented by Australian hardwoods in more sheltered locations. All structural elements are concrete or masonry, providing durability and acting as thermal mass to moderate temperature swings. External areas are heavily insulated.
Inside, the junction between walls and ceiling is gently curved to soften the geometry and add visual interest. Recessed aluminium channels link the east and west façade mullions, providing structure, scale, and a concealed control joint to prevent cracking. Custom lighting continues this language in both material and detail.
Photos by Mark Syke