Wadalba Duplex

Most duplexes on the Central Coast look like they were designed by dividing a rectangle in half. This Wadalba project started from a different premise: what if the form of each dwelling responded to the sun and the breeze rather than just the property boundary? The result is two three bedroom homes that share a site but each have their own distinctive character, defined by curved walls that direct airflow and create privacy between the dwellings.

The curved walls are not decorative. They serve a precise function. On the prevailing breeze side, the walls arc inward to funnel air through the living spaces, creating natural ventilation that reduces the need for air conditioning through most of the year. On the street frontage, the curves create a visual rhythm that gives the building genuine street presence, distinguishing it from the flat faced neighbours. Between the two dwellings, a curved garden wall creates a sheltered courtyard for each home, private from the other, where the morning sun lands perfectly.

Passive solar principles governed the orientation. North facing living areas in both dwellings receive winter sunlight through carefully sized windows, with concrete slab floors acting as thermal mass to absorb and slowly release that warmth through the evening. In summer, deep eaves calculated for the December sun angle shade the same windows completely. The bedrooms sit on the southern side where they stay cool and quiet, with operable windows positioned high on the walls to let rising warm air escape at night.

Each dwelling has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and open plan living that flows to a private outdoor area. The interiors are bright and open, with the curved walls creating a gentle sense of movement as you walk through the spaces. Finishes are durable and low maintenance, chosen for a rental market where the dwellings need to look good year after year without constant upkeep. Both homes feel considered and complete, as though each was designed as a standalone house rather than half of a development.