Nestled within the undulated roofline of one of Fitzroy’s famed MacRobertson warehouses, sits a roof terrace with a difference - complete with canopy and turf. This, the vertical and architectural pinnacle of the Butler House, fills the void that effects so many inner-city dwellings - a lack of outdoor space. Further to this, the warehouse apartment had a number of innate thermal and acoustic shortcomings - making it less-than-ideal for occupancy by a family with 2 rambunctious young boys. Balancing intimacy with privacy came to be a significant consideration for this young family and is achieved via shrewd adaptability of spaces. Unwanted sound transmission was something of a constant at the Butler House. A very open, vertical path of stairs allowed sounds to travel to all corners of the dwelling - their path helped by ubiquitous reflective surfaces in steel and concrete. The challenge was to reduce sound transmission, but not to a point of isolation - the family still very much enjoyed the connection allowed by cross-level communication. The solution was found in celebrating the very thing that made this house different - it’s vertical nature.