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Glass House
Sydney Open Symposium: House Tours
Sunday 24 May 2026
A meticulous remediation of one of Sydney’s most iconic homes
About the building
Designed in 1957 by Bill and Ruth Lucas, the Glass House was a radical experiment in living. Built on a sloping rocky Castlecrag site, the house is an exemplar of the ‘Sydney School’ architectural movement, prioritising the natural landscape with architecture that is minimal in form and construction.
The property falls steeply from the street, and the house sits in rugged terrain with a creek running beneath. The single-storey timber frame appears to float miraculously in the tree canopy, while the extensive glazing reflects the bush, allowing the home to concede to its surrounding environment.
Funded by Bill’s war service loan and pension, the house the Lucases created was a building reduced to the bare essentials. Rooms that were usually considered necessary at the time, such as formal hallways and separate dining spaces, were omitted in favour of balconies and lightwells, removing the superfluous while maximising interaction with the outdoors.
When the Lucases’ expanding family outgrew the home, the Glass House was sold. The house passed through a small number of hands until the current owners purchased the site in 2022. Inheriting a deteriorating structure with unsympathetic additions, they employed Cracknell and Lonergan Architects to bring the house back to its former glory, with Bill and Ruth’s son Peter carrying out the building work.
The resulting interventions are restrained yet extensive, with repair and conservation the primary goals. Much of the work can be felt rather than seen, with structural upgrades and timber repair ensuring the home can continue to operate as a family dwelling without losing the authenticity of the Lucases’ original vision.
Today, the Glass House is one of our most iconic examples of mid-century Australian architecture, and an enduring exemplar of the importance of stewardship.
Architect/Designer
Bill and Ruth Lucas; recent remediation works by Cracknell and Lonergan Architects with Peter Lucas and Esteban Carretero
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