ARCH1201 Design Studio 3
Low Carbon Urban Living: A Passive Design Terrace House
DESIGN GUIDELINES: THE PROGRAM
Term 1 2025
Project Site: Kent Street, Millers Point - The Rocks, Sydney
The project site, located on Kent Street, Millers Point, is owned by the Land and Housing Corporation under the Family and Community Services portfolio. Currently occupied by a tennis court and small changing room, the site is bounded by:
• Kent Street (west)
• 94 Kent Street terrace house (north)
• A sheer cliff wall (east)
• Agar Steps (south)
Positioned above the Barangaroo development, the site will serve as a vital link between Barangaroo and the historic Observatory Hill, reinforcing its role in Sydney’s evolving urban landscape
http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/millers_point
The Program
The project aims to redevelop the tennis court site by introducing a new Terrace House with two residences and a Public Space.
Project Scenario
A portion of the Tennis Court will be sold to a private owner to develop a passive design Terrace House adjacent to 94 Kent Street. The proceeds will fund the creation of a Public Space on the remaining land.
New Terrace House
Designed for two independent residences, each with private outdoor spaces (balcony, garden, courtyard, or roof terrace):
• Residence 1 (100 sqm): A home for a couple with two young children.
• Residence 2 (60 sqm): Designed for two people, with details shaped by each student’s narrative.
The design reimagines the traditional terrace house with a granny flat, encouraging shared spaces—whether in the living room, kitchen, studio, or outdoor areas. Students will expand the brief by defining the artistic or professional pursuits ofthe residents, choosing from disciplines such as architecture, landscape architecture, creative writing, painting, sculpture, music, film, or theatre.
New Public Space
A public space will honor Country and the Gadigal Coastal People, who have inhabited this area for tens of thousands of years. It will be located between the new Terrace House at 96 Kent Street and Agar Steps.
General Design Criteria – The Five Cs Fostering Creativity
1. Constraint - Working within site limitations and regulations.
2. Context - Responding to the historical, social, and environmental surroundings.
3. Content - Integrating functional and programmatic needs.
4. Concept - Developing a strong design idea that balances innovation and site identity.
5. Comfort - Ensuring liveability, sustainability, and user well-being.
Site Constraints & Design Requirements
Architects must navigate constraints such as budget, space, zoning, and environmental considerations. Below are the key site constraints to consider.
New Terrace House - Design Guidelines
• Volume: Maximum 10m wide, 26m deep, and 9m high to align with the Kent Street terrace housing pattern.
• Setback: Maintain a 3m distance from 94 Kent Street for privacy and access.
• Perimeter Wall: Retain the existing 50cm-high wall along Kent Street, integrating steps and a ramp at both ends—one leading to 94 Kent Street, the other to Agar Steps.
• Elevation: The site for both the terrace house and public space is 50cm above the sidewalk.
New Public Space - Preservation Requirements
• Tree Preservation: Retain existing trees to enhance thermal comfort and reduce heat impact.
• Perimeter Wall: Maintain the 50cm-high wall along Kent Street, integrating steps and a ramp towards the first landing of Agar Steps.
Context
Kent Street, Millers Point, presents an ideal setting for urban analysis, featuring diverse urban typologies such as workers’ cottages, terrace houses, hotels (e.g., The Langham by Philip Cox), pubs, shops, and heritage streetscapes with trees, staircases, and open spaces.
Architect Aldo Rossi (1931-1997) viewed cities as dynamic systems of permanence and alterations. Millers Point reflects this concept, shaped by topography and historical changes. The tennis court site has undergone several transformations:
• 1880s: A sandstone quarry, later forming the Agar Steps (1870–1880).
• Federation era: A pavilion and recreational space.
• 1960s: Converted into a tennis court for Fort Street School.
• 1983: Transferred to Department of Housing, later leased to The Langham Hotel (1996–present).
This Design Studio represents another alteration to the site while preserving its historical memory.
Resources for Urban Morphology
Students should refer to:
• “The Morphological Dimension” in Public Spaces, Urban Spaces by Carmona & Heath (Available via UNSW Library).
o Access here.
Project One: Positioning
Students will analyze the site, focusing on topography, cultural/social context, and architectural integration.
Content
This second-year studio builds on architectural language skills developed in first year. Like a language, architecture conveys meaning through elements such as:
• Walls, columns, floors, ceilings, windows, doors, stairs, beams, roofs.
• Materials (brick, timber, glass, concrete, steel, stone).
Design is structured by:
• Conceptual organization (overarching ideas).
• Hierarchy between architectural elements.
• Spatial organization, circulation, volume, materiality, perception, and experience.
Conceptual ideas emerge from a geographical, cultural, and historical analysis of the project site, ensuring meaningful architectural responses.
New Terrace House - Functional & Design Requirements
General Guidelines
• Work within a 2400m3 volume (10m W x 26m L x 9m H).
• Allocate 1400m3 for interior living spaces (100 sqm & 60 sqm residences), with the remaining open space designed as a balcony, garden, courtyard, or roof terrace.
• Use masonry/bricks for structural walls and timber/concrete for floors.
• The design must not include a garage to maintain the Kent Street terrace housing character.
Larger Residence (100 sqm, 4 occupants)
• Kitchen connected to dining & living areas with access to outdoor space.
• Studio space for a specific artistic/professional activity.
• Custom shelving for books and art objects.
• Three bedrooms.
• Two bathrooms (one with a bathtub).
• Adequate storage.
Smaller Residence (60 sqm, 2 occupants)
• Kitchen connected to dining/living space with outdoor access.
• Studio space (can be integrated into the living area).
• One or two bedrooms (based on student narrative).
• One bathroom.
• Adequate storage.
Refer to NSW planning guidelines for interior layouts, sizes, and scales:
• Residential Flat Design Code
• Apartment Design Guide
New Public Space - Design Considerations
• Create a harmonious space integrating Kent Street, the cliff, and Agar Steps.
• Explore incorporating the cliff into the design.
• Develop a garden with native plants, seating areas, and sandstone, concrete, and timber benches.
• Decide whether to relocate or remove the existing pavilion/changing room based on the design narrative.
• Prioritize usability, functionality, and aesthetic quality for public engagement.
Concept
Creativity and boundary-pushing are essential in designing your Terrace House and Public Space. Your concept should balance site identity, serving as a bridge between past and future while responding to site analysis, brief, and precedents.
Effective Presentation Techniques:
• Notated diagrams & sketches (plan, section, 3D).
• Study/conceptual models.
• Virtual reality presentations (if needed).
• Collaborative discussions & feedback within tutorial groups.
Comfort & Passive Design
How can a terrace house enhance residents' quality of life?
Passive design is key to thermal comfort, maximizing well-being while minimizing energy use. A sustainable home should not only be affordable and liveable but also high-performance, contributing to energy generation, water conservation, and a lower carbon footprint.
Five Key Principles of Passive Design:
1. Orientation – Optimize solar heating, cooling, and natural ventilation.
2. Shading – Minimize excessive solar heat gain.
3. Insulation – Improve building fabric efficiency.
4. Thermal Mass – Absorb and store heat for temperature regulation.
5. Ventilation – Use operable windows for airflow and daylight control.
For this project, solar power and rainwater collection are assumed as part of sustainable living strategies.
Course Integration:
• ARCH1201 Passive Design Terrace House aligns with:
o ARCH1162 Construction & Structures 1 (John Carrick, Christian Grennan).
o ARCH2170 Building Information Modelling (Lan Ding).
The Rocks & Millers Point: A Historical & Social Perspective
Originally inhabited by the Gadigal people for tens of thousands of years, The Rocks became the site of first contact between British settlers and Indigenous Australians in 1788. Captain Arthur Phillip established the first European settlement here, transforming Indigenous land into a convict settlement that later evolved into a working-class maritime community. By the early 1900s, The Rocks was a hub of global trade, linking the Pacific, Asia, the Atlantic, and Europe. Millers Point, an adjacent area, retained its historic charm with buildings from the 1830s and a largely unchanged streetscape since the 1930s. However, in 2014, the NSW Government’s decision to sell social housing forced out many long-term residents, shifting the area's demographic from working-class maritime workers to a wealthier middle class.
Over time, The Rocks saw waves of unregulated development, demolitions, and preservation efforts. The construction of the Harbour Bridge (1932) and the Cahill Expressway (1962) reshaped the urban landscape. In the 1960s, plans for high-rise developments threatened the area's heritage, but the Green Bans movement, led by activist Jack Mundey, preserved much of its historical character.
Architecture in The Rocks and Millers Point is more than just buildings—it reflects social and political change. Understanding this history is key to shaping the future of these spaces while respecting their past.
The Terrace House: Evolution & Adaptation
Terrace houses in Millers Point, originally built as affordable housing for Sydney Harbour workers, have a long history of resilience. Rooted in British design, they housed bohemian artists, students, and urban pioneers before evolving into modern homes reimagined for contemporary living (Bruhn, Butler 2015).
Typically, terrace houses follow a consistent layout: a narrow, elongated site (4–10 meters wide), two floors, a street-facing entrance, and a linear arrangement of rooms along a corridor. Bedrooms are upstairs, with the front room often featuring a covered balcony. A small service wing with a bathroom and laundry is often connected via a courtyard or garden.
Redesigning the terrace house today means reinterpreting these elements—rethinking spatial relationships, volumes, and voids to create dynamic, functional living spaces for the future.
Current Situation: Millers Point & The Rocks
Millers Point and The Rocks sit at the intersection of history and the future within Sydney Harbour. Our project site on Kent Street embodies this transition. At one end, Observatory Hill, with its sandstone buildings designed by Alexander Dawson and James Barnet in 1858, marks the area's colonial past. At the other, the rapidly rising towers of Barangaroo represent Sydney’s evolving skyline.
Key developments shaping this transformation include Tzannes Architects’ International House (Australia’s first engineered timber office, completed in 2017), Renzo Piano’s residential towers, and Wilkinson Eyre’s six-star Crown Sydney Hotel Resort. The Central Barangaroo masterplan, led by SOM in collaboration with Anderson Hunter Horn, envisions a vibrant public and cultural hub. London’s David Chipperfield Architects, alongside Durbach Block Jaggers, Smart Design Studio, and John Wardle Architects, will design its final tower.
Our new urban intervention—a Terrace House and Public Space—will bridge the contemporary Central Barangaroo with the historic Observatory Hill, connected by a staircase on the steep cliff above. This project aims to link Sydney’s heritage with its modern aspirations, shaping a seamless dialogue between past and future.