Shadow House

Working on an extension to a beautiful heritage house in Albert Park, Melbourne was a privilege for collaborating architects Winwood Mckenzie Architecture from Melbourne and Kontista & Co in Sydney.

But working within the constraints of a heritage house, with an obsolete floor plan, is never without its challenges.

In this case, the floorplan had to be extensively reworked to provide contemporary amenity and functionality, whilst maintaining the continuity of space, proportion, and mass of the original house.

Internal spaces were reconfigured to reinterpret the bay windows, create a new contemporary kitchen, and provide new living spaces at the rear of the existing house.

The dark-stained curvilinear timber wall continues the line of the facade.

It creates a shadow of the original house that sits discreetly in the garden.

A large curved glass window and bench seat in the kitchen and two large sliding windows provided contemporary bay window arrangements where the residents could sit in the sun and view the garden.

The positioning of windows allowed sun to enter into all living spaces from morning until late afternoon.

Filtered through trees and entering from different windows into the same space, the light changes throughout the day, marking the passage of time, and tracing the functional arrangement of spaces.

Respecting the heritage character of the area was important.

So when seen from the street, the new extension reads as a band of dark timber.

That allows the existing house and landscaping to define the primary character of the house.

A sense of mass at the rear of the house was created by designing thickened timber framed walls, some up to 600 mm deep.

These new walls accommodated services, bench seats, storage, and sliding pocket doors and windows whilst providing an additional layer of insulation.

Tying old and new elements together is always an important consideration in a residential extension like this one. That’s why Winwood Mckenzie Architecture and Kontista & Co introduced a new slate roof and wide oak floorboards throughout the entire house.

Those two elements tie the old and new together and connect the once separate flat and garage to the rear of the property. That one move consolidated a jumble of additions to the house into one highly-functional dwelling.

The open plan living and new kitchen reoriented the living spaces and replaced a series of separate rooms to allow light, air, and a strengthened connection with the garden.

The new arrangement of living spaces created a more desirable orientation to the north, and through the use of a contemporary bay window arrangement, captures the east and western sun.

A new skylight over the study and in the bathroom provided additional light in the darker areas of the house.

Large openings provide ample cross ventilation whilst the thick double-layer of insulation in the walls and double-glazing controls the temperature, thus minimizing the use of mechanical heating or cooling.

Hydronic heating panels were integrated into the window seats to provide localised heating in sitting areas too. Further sustainability measures incorporated into the design included new floor and ceiling insulation. And the existing corrugated iron roof was removed and replaced with new slate to reinstate the original slate roof.

Low VOC paint, LED lighting, FSC certified engineered floor boards, and energy efficient appliances and tapware worked together to improve the sustainability of the existing house. And an underground water tank provides rain water for the garden. Provision for solar hot water heating was also made.

Large bluestone threshold stones were re-used to create threshold steps at the glazed sliding doors of the new extension.

In every respect, quality materials and highly-considered detailing throughout continued the appreciation of craft and materiality visible in the existing house.

Project Details

Project size – 263 m2

Completion date – 2012

Project Team

Architecture

Winwood Mckenzie Architecture

Winwood Mckenzie is an emerging architecture practice based in Melbourne, Australia. They specialise in residential and commercial heritage renovations.

www.winwoodmckenzie.com.au

Kontista & Co

Kontista + Co was established in 2010. They strive to develop as a design focused practice with a distinctive approach to built form.

The practice is dedicated to the production of architecture that is highly responsive to its context and seeks to form a strong relationship with landscape.

Each project is client specific, driven by an intimacy, and understanding of the clients requirements.

www.kontista.com.au

Photography

Emily Bartlett

Emily is a Melbourne-based architectural and interiors photographer who works with leading architects and designers throughout Australia.

www.emilybartlettphotography.com