Seidler House, Killara

13 Kalang Avenue, Killara, was the first house designed by Harry and Penelope Seidler for their own family. Harry Seidler’s architectural practice was thriving and this house represented the state of the art for the period. When finished in 1967, it received critical acclaim, winning the prestigious Wilkinson Award for Residential Buildings from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. The property, still owned by the Seidler family, overlooks Ku-ring-gai National Park.

"When an architect and his wife, who is also an architect, set out to build their own house for the first time, the choice of site and location is as telling of their attitudes as the design of the house itself … Although located in an established living area it has no neighbours as it is surrounded by natural bush reserve which assures complete privacy. The site is however very rugged which would discourage most people from building. In this case this was considered an advantage and even a challenge."

("Architects' own house", Architecture in Australia, April 1968, p.313-7)