PENTHOUSE pleasures

This lofty retreat presented fertile potential but also posed some tricky challenges for its enterprising designer.

- CHRIS PEARSON

When relaxing in this rooftop garden, the owners of this two-level penthouse in Sydney’s inner east are on top of the world – in more ways than one. The lofty retreat luxuriates in panoramic harbour views as well as all-day sun. But it is also blissfully outside the box – their wire fox terrier, Tui, can wallow in a flowering rooftop ‘meadow’.

The charmed results, however, presented some tricky challenges for its designer, Michael Cooke. He became involved in 2019, having worked for the owners on two previous projects. Architects BVN had totally refurbished the top two floors of a mid-century brick apartment building, presenting him with the hardscaping, a blank canvas defined by limestone pavers on terraces front and back and handsome bronze perforated cladding as a background. His task was to soften the hard edges of the contemporary architecture with judicious planting.

“It was a fabulous location and an amazing apartment,” says Michael. “But there are so many constraints on a rooftop garden and this was no exception, such as shallow soil – here it is little more than 100mm deep in parts. We also had to work out where we could weight load. It enjoyed full sun with no shade while council stipulates low water usage so we had to work out what would grow within those parameters.” And, because it was overlooked by other apartment buildings, while the garden would need privacy, he also had to navigate height limits by including only plants that would not impede the neighbours’ views.