At first glance they might not seem the most impressive of buildings, but two small residential buildings have been named as contenders in one of the country's top architectural awards.
A "reinvented" retro beach house in the South Coast town of Narrawallee and a a studio cum granny flat in the garden of a home in Sydney's Bondi have been shortlisted in the Australian Institue of Architects 2025 NSW Arhcitecture Awards.
And both projects, which are modest in size but not ideas, have been called out by competition organisers.
"The diversity of response and the breadth of design thinking reflected in this year's entrants is very exciting - some of the projects are incredibly modest, making an impact with little, and others are multilayered and city-making," said NSW Chapter President, Elizabeth Carpenter.
House in Narrawallee by Architect George, which is up for a gong in the Residential Architecture Houses (Alterations and Additions) category is a Beachcomber style home that both the architect and owner agreed would be rejuvenated rather than demolished.
The clever approach and outcome shows that a great house can be achieved by working with an original home rather than building anew.
The profile of the house retains original beach shacks form the '60s and '70s with an open car space below and living areas on the upper level, positioned to capture sea breezes.
There were no structural changes to the building, instead an interior-based conversion of spaces that weren't working were transformed into a vibrant and varied environment, the firm noted.
While the exterior was kept intact overall, new openings in the face were included to give every room a view to the newly planted garden as well as allowing cross ventilation.
One of the biggest changes came through the colours used both internally and externally.
The exteriors are now a soft sage green that disappear into the canopy of native gums on and surrounding the site.
Inside, living areas have a white backdrop, allowing timber cabinetry to shine while bedrooms are in warm terracotta and bathrooms in turquoise green, mimicking the nearby sea.
Meanwhile a modest granny flat cum studio, in the Sydney beachside suburb of Bondi named Love Shack, has been shortlisted for multiple awards including Small Project Architecture and Sustainable Architecture.
The studio space has the ability to transform from a bedroom to a living room to an office space, and sits in the backyard of an established home.
It was built as a prototype for housing that can be disassembled and was constructed from building waste including floorboards rescued from another site.
The winner of the 2025 NSW Architecture Awards will be announced next month.
