Within Sydney’s gentrified beachside suburb of Bronte, cluttered by renovations and rebuilds, Tribe Studio Architects suggests a restoratively elemental approach to coastal living. Bronte House is built on a steep former quarry site for a multigenerational family of five; the home’s raw, monolithic presence gives the illusion of having been carved from a single block of sandstone by sun, wind and time.

Bronte House sweeps across the southern bank of the Bronte gully on a shared elevated walkway. From its southern to northern boundaries, the house falls six storeys in height and is closely contained between neighbours on either side. The materiality of Bronte House is delightfully fundamental and tactile, with a muted colour palette that is a light, cool contrast to the warmth and brightness of the outside sun.

To complement the vertical character of the home, the architects delineate a highly resolved organisational strategy, which carefully separates areas of served and servant space, as well as spaces of interaction and retraction for Bronte House’s occupants. This is all achieved within a concentrated envelope that emphasises spatial efficiency to curate a highly personalised plan for the family, with clear public-private sectors as well as multiple work-from-home spaces.

The home features sandy coloured brickwork and concrete structural slabs as well as sealed finishes and joinery made from Australian hardwood. There is no plasterboard in the project and limited tiling, with steel balustrading details consistent inside and out. The home has an earthy luminosity and enduring, ancient quality for its masonry construction that extends throughout the entire project. It is in this careful junction between eroded form and grounded materials that Bronte House becomes a thoughtful study in light.