Hawthorn House by Cheah Saw Architecture

Hawthorn House by Cheah Saw Architecture redefines multi-generational living, creating a home that adapts across time and life stages while maintaining a strong connection to its landscape.

With multiple primary bedrooms and a separate bedroom cluster, the house responds to the evolving needs of a family, offering spaces for both gathering and retreat.

The home unfolds along a meandering path through the landscape, its ground floor composed of pavilions interspersed with courtyards. Each room opens directly onto a landscaped outdoor space, tailored to the adjacent program: active, contemplative, communal, or individual. By day, Hawthorn House reads as a crisp white box perched above a dark base; by night, it becomes a glowing lantern, its silhouette hinting at life within.

A continuous metal skin wraps the upper level, blending perforated and solid panels into a seamless façade. This layer filters sunlight into protected terraces and private bedroom and study interiors, while addressing privacy and overlooking requirements dictated by council controls. Views are maintained, natural light floods the interiors, and an elevated sense of openness is achieved: a sunlit retreat among the treetops.

Materiality and continuity are central to the home's interiors. Dark external cladding extends inside, echoing in wall linings and joinery. Exposed concrete from the landscape, seen in the entry path, pool terrace, and al fresco dining area, flows seamlessly indoors, forming a cohesive ground plane. Sculptural elements such as the kitchen island, seating plinths, and fireplace emerge from this continuous surface, grounding the home in a tactile and thoughtful material palette.

Sustainability informs both material and spatial decisions. Passive strategies, including thermal mass, cross-ventilation, and shading, reduce reliance on energy, while robustness and adaptability ensure the home endures over time.

Every aspect of Hawthorn House reflects a considered attention to living patterns, landscape, and natural light. The home balances private and shared spaces, active and quiet moments, creating a family residence that is both grounded and elevated. Cheah Saw Architecture has crafted a house that is visually striking yet intimately attuned to the way it will be lived in for generations.

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