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Neighbours divided over David Droga's plans for Australia most expensive oceanfront home overlooking Tamarama Beach

7 months ago 38

Grand new designs have been unveiled for what promises to be Australia's most expensive oceanfront house but not everyone is impressed with the radical plans.

New York-based Australian ad guru David Droga, 54, and his wife Marisa, spent a record-breaking $45m early last year for the 1,100sqm 1920s brick house overlooking Tamarama Beach in Sydney's east.

The old bungalow, known as Lang Syne, has since been demolished to make way for a holiday home to be built for the new owners.

Luigi Rosselli Architects this week shared images of the new home to be built on the site, which will feature 'cocoon' shaped structures made from reused sandstone, brick and slate.

Plans have been revealed for the home set to replace Lang Syne (pictured) that overlooked Sydney's Tamarama beach before it was demolished

'The topline brief David and Marisa provided was a simple one: design a family home worthy of such a special and breathtaking location,' the architect's website reads.

'Something beautiful, and organic, that exists in harmony with its natural surroundings and its occupants.

'The goal is to retain the organic beauty of the site, with its wind-carved rocks, through an organic plan with a counterpoint play of eroded horizontal slabs and cocoon shaped vertical breaks.'

The eye-catching design dubbed Tamarama Headland Sea Change is predicted to be Australia's first $100m house on the coast.

But not everyone in street is happy with the plans. 

A neighbour slammed the proposed structures as 'horrific'.

'Blight on the landscape,' they told news.com.au.

'Eyesore. What the actual f**k.'

Plans are set to be lodged with Waverley Council for what has been hailed as a 'wondrous and awe-inspiring' new residence that is expected to be completed by 2026.

The previous four-bedroom, two-bathroom home was previously occupied for 64 years by Dimity Griffiths and her husband Harry - a comedian and radio star - along with their four children. 

The couple paid £9750 for the property - about $18,000 today without adjusting for inflation.

The old home known as Lang Syne has since been demolished to make way for a holiday home (artist impression pictured) to be built for the new owners.

Australian ad guru David Droga, 54, brought the Lang Syne property last year for a whopping $45million

Lang Syne was on the market for seven months before Mr Droga made what he later described as the 'wonderfully irresponsible' purchase early last year.

'I always thought it was the best piece of land in Sydney,' he told AdNews in October.

'When it came up, the stars were aligned, and it felt like a wonderfully irresponsible thing to do.'

Local prestige agent Simon Exleton told The Wentworth Courier this week that once the home is completed in 2026 'it will be the first $100million house on the coast'.

Mr Exleton also predicted it would mean Tamarama 'rises to the top as Sydney's most desirable beachside real estate'. 

The Drogas currently live in Manhattan, where they have raised four children.

The new residence dubbed Tamarama Headland Sea Change will be Australia's most expensive oceanfront property

Mr Droga has become a billionaire through his hugely successful advertising business Droga5, which he founded in Australia in 2006 and sold in 2019 for $650million.

Accenture bought the company and Mr Droga went onto to be the chief executive of the global IT and consulting giant.

Throughout his 30-plus year career climbing to the pinnacle of advertising, Mr Droga, who likes to call himself the 'Dingo of Wall Street', has worked with the likes of former US President Barack Obama, Beyonce and the United Nations.

He grew up in Perisher Valley in the NSW Snowy Mountains before moving to Sydney then Singapore and London.

He landed in New York in 2003 to run the billion-dollar advertising agency. 

The new home overlooking Tamarama Beach is expected to be completed by 2026

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