Bush Studio | Church Point, NSW
Set within a steep bushland site at Church Point, overlooking Pittwater, Bush Studio was conceived as a quiet retreat and flexible workspace for a working professional with visiting family and guests. Replacing an ageing and unsafe existing structure, the studio was designed to meet immediate needs while carefully anticipating future stages of life.
Originally imagined as a modest bunkhouse for storage and seasonal guests, the role of the building evolved during COVID when the client’s son returned home and the space became a dedicated music studio. From the outset, the design also allowed for future adaptation — with a layout and services planned to support conversion into a self-contained one-bedroom dwelling, suitable for a live-in carer or independent living should access to the main house become difficult over time.
The site is shared with Salbinda, the first house designed by Richard Leplastrier, making sensitivity to landscape and context paramount. Rather than competing with the main house, the studio is deliberately understated, sitting quietly within the trunk zone of the surrounding gums and receding into the bush. Views are framed toward the landscape, while the building’s modest scale and materiality allow it to feel grounded and respectful of its setting.
“Anne has a natural ability to marry practicality and quality - and she’s so lovely to deal with”
- Anni, Client
Material decisions were driven by durability, restraint and connection to place. A board-formed concrete parapet, poured in a single continuous pour for watertightness, acts as both edge beam and protective threshold — conceived as an inverted tray sitting lightly on the site. The roof is clad in carefully selected, varied Colourbond tones drawn directly from the colours of the surrounding bush, allowing the building to visually dissolve into its environment.
The studio provides separation from the main house and a sense of solitude, while large openings frame filtered bush views and bring light deep into the space. Designed for quiet daily use yet capable of transformation over time, Bush Studio demonstrates how thoughtful architecture can support changing lives without excess.
The project was delivered through a close collaboration between client, builder Jeffrey Broadfield and architect, with significant on-site involvement throughout construction — reinforcing a shared commitment to craft, clarity and care.
Location: Church Point NSW
Collaborators: Jeffrey Broadfield and Anne Robson
Structural Engineer: Professor Max Irvine
Photographer: Clinton Weaver