The project involved alterations and additions to an A.V Jennings brick cottage built in 1967. The clients’ brief asked to upgrade the existing amenities and to provide new spaces such as a Retreat, Study and Master Bedroom. There was a need for better links to the garden, and to take advantage of views to parkland across the road.

Although 75% of the original structure was retained, the character of the house has been transformed. The substantial addition to the front was the catalyst for the transformation as it introduced new building forms and materials, quite distinct from the original. Its south wall and the roof are treated as a folded plane that envelops the front façade. Within this façade Western Red Cedar battens feature as a multipurpose device, first as a cladding material to the Master Bedroom wall, secondly as a screen for privacy and shading from the western sun, and finally as a balustrade for the upstairs balcony. Below, a water feature and a suspended timber screen help to define the entry and provide western sun protection for the Lounge area.

The additions to the back have been treated as a natural extension to the existing house and are connected physically and visually to two distinct gardens.

Internally, the front addition has been treated in the style of a ‘modern’ apartment with a series of spaces that are connected vertically and horizontally. Its centrepiece is a two storey lounge area linked to the kitchen, the dining room, a small side garden, a deck and a water feature. Above, this light filled space leads to an open sided Master Bedroom via a folded staircase.