Practical Prototype

When architect Brad Swartz designed his own much-lauded 27-square-metre studio apartment in Darlinghurst in 2015, it unexpectedly became the launching pad for his practice Brad Swartz Architects. Six years on, Brad has designed another apartment for himself and his partner, Jade, drawing on the ideas he has developed through client projects, as well as testing out new ideas. “Each project becomes a prototype for the next one,” Brad says.

Brad and Jade were taken by the design of the four-storey apartment block where they bought their new home in the North Sydney suburb of Cremorne. Built in 1963, the U-shaped brick building has an open