The Design and Construction of a "Batcave"

The properties along Ida Avenue in Mosman stand 10 m above the road on an outcrop of Sydney sandstone. Access to the houses is generally via a long steep staircase. The owner of 22 Ida Avenue identified an opportunity to use the natural strength of the rock beneath his property to excavate an underground garage and to provide access to the basement of his property via a 10 m elevator shaft from the back of the garage. This paper will describe the design and construction of this unique and innovative urban development.