Dover Heights House - Collins and TurnerCollins and Turner

Dover Heights House

Life at the edge

Dover Heights House

Project Story

Details

The Dover Heights House occupies a dramatic site perched on the edge of an 80-metre sandstone cliff. The home commands uninterrupted panoramic views across the South Pacific Ocean—northward to the Sydney Harbour Heads and southward toward the sweeping curve of Bondi Beach.

At the heart of the design lies an orchestrated element of surprise. Approached discreetly via a narrow driveway, visitors first encounter a sheltered entrance courtyard that opens into a soaring double-height space. This arrival area, bathed in soft natural light from above, deliberately withholds any outward view. Instead, it creates a moment of calm anticipation. Only upon ascending the main stair does the full drama of the site unfold—the expansive ocean horizon revealed in a breathtaking, cinematic panorama.

The architectural composition consists of two clean, rectilinear volumes that flank the central double-height entry and adjoining sculpture court. These volumes contain the private bedroom suites and ancillary spaces at the lower level, while the primary living areas occupy the upper floor, where light, air, and view converge.

Above, two offset floating roof planes are expressed as light, hovering elements—seemingly weightless thanks to a continuous band of frameless clerestory glazing that separates roof from wall. This delicate articulation allows natural light to wash into the interiors, softening the transitions between enclosed and open space.

The first-floor living spaces are oriented to capture the full breadth of the coastal panorama, creating a sensation akin to being on the upper deck of an ocean liner—immersed in the vastness of sea and sky. Refined detailing, natural materials, and careful modulation of light reinforce the house’s dual character: a place of serenity and introspection, balanced against the raw, exhilarating power of its cliff-top setting.

Details

Client

Private clients

Collaborating Architect

Walters and Cohen

Structure

Murtagh Bond

ESD

Acor

Landscape

Barbara Schaffer

Builder

Bellevarde

Photography

Richard Glover, Mads Morgensen