Tietz House Blackheath
Gundungurra and Darug Land
Located in the historic village of Blackheath, some 120 kilometres west of Sydney and over 1,000 metres above sea level, the Blue Mountains House re-interprets an existing cottage within a World Heritage-listed landscape. From this elevated site, the renewed and extended house commands sweeping views across the valley, honouring its historic fabric while improving performance, liveability, and landscape connection.
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Challenges
The project was conceived as a cost-effective and staged regeneration, respecting the existing structure while introducing new components with care and clarity. A key constraint was the region’s harsh climatic conditions. Wind exposure, temperature extremes, snowfall, and bushfire risk all had to be addressed without compromising the home’s character or comfort.
02
Approach
The existing cottage on site was thoughtfully restored to enhance thermal performance, energy efficiency and interior functionality, all while preserving its original charm. A considered landscape design and attached entry pavilion unites the restored cottage and a new pre-fabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) studio, strengthening the connection between the built and natural environments.
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Process / Materials
The existing fabric of the cottage was carefully demolished and new works integrated into the old, working where possible with existing walls and openings to connect the house to the extended and foreground views. The studio is defined by a totally different approach, where the use of pre-fabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the studio provided a fast, precise, and sustainable construction solution for the studio. Both the house and studio are clad in Australian hardwood, visually unifying old and new and allowing the building to weather naturally and providing protection from ember attack during bushfires.
04
Design Impact
The Blue Mountains House is a quiet study in resilient, site-specific design—an incremental transformation of a modest cottage into a personalised mountain retreat. The addition of a CLT studio, selective renovations to the original cottage, and a series of finely tuned landscape interventions create a home that is spacious, flexible, and environmentally responsive to its mountain environment.
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ARCHITECTURAL TEAM
Jon King
Olaf Bruins
Anna Wu
CONSULTANTS
Lighting Special Lights
Certifier Len Keeble
Structure Gerald Balkin
Bushire Bushfire Consulting Services
Basix Efficient Living
BUILDER
GreenScape Constructions
PHOTOGRAPHY
Luke Butterly
TESTIMONIAL
“It is a small house and connects us to our environment through the large and well-defined openings. The house has been consolidated and revitalised and now has a solid, comfortable and spacious feel that allows for relaxed living. It is significantly improved in its environmental performance, better insulated for warmth and sound. The courtyard has become the transition area from either the outside world or the work world, whereas before the entry was straight into the kitchen. We love the continuity but also the renewal of our house.”
