Project Name: Flying Fox House

Location: Sydney, Australia

Design Team: George Banks Architecture

Total Floor Area: 550 m²

Completion: 2024

Photography: Sebastian Mrugalski

Feature:

Project - George Banks Architecture has completed a cascading residential project in a bay-side Sydney suburb that reimagines the traditional Australian home layout. Rather than positioning recreational space in the backyard, Flying Fox House features a prominent front-facing outdoor area that becomes the heart of the dwelling.

The 550-square-metre residence perches atop a sloped site, capitalizing on northern sunlight exposure and panoramic bay views. Its defining feature—a suspended swimming pool that dramatically overlooks the water—serves as the centerpiece of an expansive outdoor entertainment zone complete with alfresco kitchen and living areas.

"We wanted to challenge the conventional suburban model," explains lead architect Gorgi Gulevski. "By inverting the typical arrangement, we created a front-facing communal space that simultaneously fulfills the client's desire for connection with both the interior living areas and the bay beyond."

The home's multi-level structure cascades down the site's natural slope, orchestrating a sequence of spaces that maintain visual connectivity with the landscape. Large doors and windows along the northern elevation maximize natural light penetration, while an operable roof provides environmental control over the alfresco area.

Curved architectural elements distinguish the project, softening the façade and creating a compelling juxtaposition against the rugged cascading rock garden beds. These gentle contours continue throughout the interior through curved ceiling treatments and fluted joinery details.

The sophisticated material palette features oak flooring, wool carpeting, quartzite, and limestone, creating warm, elegant tones throughout. According to the architects, these selections, guided by client preferences, establish a "tranquil and calming environment" that enhances the connection between indoor comfort and the dramatic waterfront setting.

Completed in 2024, Flying Fox House demonstrates how strategic spatial inversion can transform residential architecture, prioritizing views and solar orientation while creating a harmonious dialogue between built form and natural surroundings.

Design Team - Founded in 2020 by registered architect Gorgi Gulevski, George Banks Architecture (GBA) has rapidly established itself as a distinctive Sydney-based atelier bringing thoughtful materiality and contextual sensitivity to Australia's architectural landscape. The practice's design methodology balances client-centered functionality with research-driven innovation, resulting in spatially articulate environments that respond intelligently to their surroundings.

GBA's portfolio predominantly features bespoke residential commissions, including the award-nominated Flying Fox House, which exemplifies the firm's characteristic approach to volumetric composition and site integration. As the practice expands into commercial and multi-residential typologies, its rigorous consideration of spatial programming and environmental performance remains consistent across scales.

Under Gulevski's direction, the studio employs a collaborative model where senior architects oversee project development while specialized team members contribute expertise during appropriate design phases. This structural framework ensures continuity of vision from concept through construction documentation.

"Architecture fundamentally shapes human experience," notes Gulevski. "Our design philosophy prioritizes the creation of enduring environments that achieve harmony through meticulous detailing and thoughtful resolution of both internal programmatic requirements and external contextual forces."

The practice's commitment to delivering highly resolved architectural solutions positions GBA among Sydney's most promising emerging studios dedicated to advancing contemporary Australian design discourse.