Not many houses can lay claim to being a ‘first’. It is believed that Ellen House on Sydney’s Upper North Shore is almost certainly Australia’s first lift-slab house. This comes as no surprise as the designer and engineer of the house, Peter Ellen was a radical structural and civil engineer, who became internationally known for his inventive innovative solutions – domed concrete moon structures for NASA, commercial high rise and big space industrial buildings across Asia and South America, the concrete hull of the 1973 Sydney to Hobart winner and record holder, Helsal.
Pushing the limits of reinforced concrete, often using ferro-cement construction, lift-slab technology, concrete materials composition, and post tensioned concrete design and construction was the life and work of Peter Ellen. His own house was an early example but unique in that it was a joint project with his wife, Ngaire. Together they designed, sculpted and crafted a light filled family home and garden amongst the trees that is a first-class example of the era – a home that continues to surprise and delight every day.
