Cloaked House

Cloaked House retains, and adapts, an existing mid-century home on a steep bush block in Mosman. The project honours and upgrades a charming 1960s home, which was lovingly owner-built by a local family, but had sadly fallen into disrepair. Instead of demolishing the building, Cloaked House applies a spirit of ‘radical renovation,’ keeping the home’s original structural skeleton, but reimagining its layout and appearance. The key design gesture carves a courtyard atrium in the home’s heart. This bathes the interior in natural light and generously opens the home to the neighbourhood, so the leafy outlook is shared with the street. The design also prioritises sustainability by carefully deploying recycled and salvaged materials. It is fully electric and passively designed for year-round comfort, with a low embodied carbon footprint. This thoughtful approach extends to the garden, where planting selections connect the site to wildlife corridors at Middle Head.

Sustainability

Cloaked House is passively designed, with optimal orientation, thermal mass, seasonal shading and cross-ventilation. It is all-electric, with hydronics, ceiling fans and13.2kW of solar. Materials were recycled, salvaged, or low carbon. Critically, the project highlights the environmental benefits of restoring rundown homes, as retaining the concrete and steel structure banked 20,000kgCO2e.