Harry and Penelope Seidler House
Encyclopedia
Harry Seidler
Harry Seidler, AC OBE was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauhaus in Australia.Harry Seidler designed more than 180 buildings and he...
. It is located on 13 Kalang Ave in the suburb of Killara on Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's North Shore, and was designed by Harry
Harry Seidler
Harry Seidler, AC OBE was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauhaus in Australia.Harry Seidler designed more than 180 buildings and he...
and Penelope Seidler.
Features
Covering 400sqm, it is constructed with reinforced masonry walls, concrete floors and roof, with rubble-stone retaining walls and fireplace. It won the Wilkinson AwardWilkinson Award
The Wilkinson Award is an Australian architectural prize presented by the Australian Institute of Architects and was first awarded in 1961....
, RAIA in 1967.
A concrete bridge leads from the entrance over a drop to the front door where the plaque is located, detailing the home's win of the Wilkinson Award. The site is uneven and challenging for a concrete home, the sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and base cement slab do not touch each other, and the house sits on piers
Piloti
Pilotis, or piers, are supports such as columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water. They are traditionally found in stilt and pole dwellings such as fishermen's huts in Asia and Scandinavia using wood and in elevated houses such as Old Queenslanders in Australia's...
dug into the sandstone ground.
The house has three levels that are only partially open to each other. On the top level is the kitchen and dining, small gallery and balcony. The second level has the living area and bedrooms. There is also a large pool and outdoor area that was added at a later date. The home is surrounded by natural Australian bush while being in an urban environment
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
. The home is furnished with 1960s inspired modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
art and furniture.
Living home
Harry and Penelope Seidler moved into the building on Harry Seidler's birthday in 1967 and lived there for the remaining years of his life. Harry Seidler died in 2006 from a devastating stroke. Penny Seidler continues to work on her designs from the terrace.External links
Pictures of the house taken in 2006 can be seen at: Twentieth Century Heritage Society of NSWMore information about the works of Harry Seidler at: www.seidler.net.au