Selected projects
A more personal waySelected work.
Homes
Projects in this category are being photographed. Ask us about recent work.
Castle Cove
This private residence on Sydney Harbour at Castle Cove, on the Lower North Shore, is an example of sustainable, modern architecture for a family home.
The design focuses on solar access and on opening up the site's view corridors, connecting the house to the water and the bushland around it. On a sloping harbourside block, the home steps with the land: living spaces sit under deep board-formed concrete overhangs that shade the glass, frameless glass balustrades keep the views open, and terraced gardens step down the slope to a pool.
Natural materials carry the idea through. Dry-stone walls ground the lower level, deep green glazed tiles and off-form concrete add texture, and hand-split stone appears inside, from the sculptural kitchen island to a freestanding bath. The aim is a beautiful home that has a positive effect on the people who live in it and on its environment.
Designed during Arkhaus’s years as a registered architectural practice.
A sloping harbourside site where sun, views and landscape all pull in different directions, and the house has to step with the land.
What are you
imagining?
What needs
to fall into place?
What needs
untangling?
What's
your style?
Your brief, so far.
What haven't we asked?
Tell us a little more about the project, or anything you're still working through.
Every enquiry is read and answered personally, not by an enquiry department.
01 — DESIGN PHILOSOPHYDesign & construction.
On speaking terms.
Some ideas are better left on paper. We prefer the ones that become even better when built.
Arkhaus is a residential and commercial design studio where creative thinking and practical construction knowledge are part of the same conversation. We believe beautiful spaces should be comfortable, purposeful and as intelligently built as they are imagined.
02 — EXPERIENCEExperience changes
the way you see.
Led by Fernando Banales, Arkhaus draws on 24 years across design and construction. Trained in design, a registered builder and a designer by instinct. The drawing is not the building — and knowing the difference changes everything.
We use NOX, a project management platform that keeps clients informed, decisions connected and next steps clear. Because a well-considered design deserves an equally considered process.
03 — SITE & CONTEXTThe site has a say.
Every site has its own character. And a few opinions. Light, aspect, landscape, privacy, neighbours and the occasional inconvenient constraint.
Then there's how you want to live. We look for the natural opportunities within each place, creating spaces that feel connected to their surroundings, comfortable to inhabit and entirely their own.
04 — DESIGN & DETAILBeautiful on paper.
Better in person.
Minimalism isn't about having less. It's about knowing what deserves to stay. Good proportions, honest materials, natural light and carefully considered details. Nothing unnecessary. Nothing missing.
We believe practicality and beauty belong together. Spaces should feel effortless, work intuitively and offer genuine comfort in everyday life. The best design makes all that thinking look rather simple.