Suburban Loci
Architecture Residential Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia
21 Images
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1. ABA_suburban-loci_street view Renovated Australian inter-war brick sububurban house Drew Echberg 4134 px 2756 px 4 MB A4 print |
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2. ABA_suburban-loci_windows Inter-war brick home with steel-framed corner windows Ande Bunbury 850 px 637 px 311 KB Print - Low res only |
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3. ABA_suburban-loci_entry porch A custom designed front door in a renovated 1950s entry porch Drew Echberg 1620 px 1080 px 672 KB Print - Low res only |
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4. ABA_suburban-loci_extension and deck Modern timber-clad extension to a house built around a tree Drew Echberg 4134 px 2756 px 4 MB A4 print |
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5. ABA_suburban-loci_deck The existing tree is a feature of the deck and provides shade to the extension Drew Echberg 4134 px 2756 px 3 MB A4 print |
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6. ABA_suburban-loci_steel-framed-windows A room with recycled pendant lights and modern steel-framed windows with views to a deck and large tree Drew Echberg 4134 px 2756 px 2 MB A4 print |
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7. ABA_suburban-loci_retro lighting Second hand retro pendant lights in a modern extension with steel-framed windows Drew Echberg 2756 px 4134 px 3 MB A4 print |
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8. ABA_suburban-loci_kitchen-dining Sunny kitchen and dining overlooking the garden Drew Echberg 4134 px 2762 px 2 MB A4 print |
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9. ABA_suburban-loci_kitchen A sun-filled modern white kitchen Drew Echberg 4134 px 2757 px 2 MB A4 print |
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10. ABA_suburban-loci_door-detail A custom designed steel-framed glazed door Drew Echberg 4134 px 2756 px 2 MB A4 print |
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11. ABA_suburban-loci_living Living room with retro furnishings and steel-framed windows to a balcony Drew Echberg 4134 px 2759 px 3 MB A4 print |
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12. ABA_suburban-loci_library Light and bright room with timber floor and lots of books Drew Echberg 4134 px 2756 px 2 MB A4 print |
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13. ABA_suburban-loci_south courtyard A shady courtyard garden pre-cools air entering the house Drew Echberg 2756 px 4134 px 4 MB A4 print |
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14. ABA_suburban-loci_shadows Shadow patterns and a nature-themed retro etched glass door are biophilic features of this renovated home Ande Bunbury 850 px 1134 px 197 KB Print - Low res only |
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15. Ande Bunbury 1134 px 850 px 220 KB Print - Low res only |
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16. ABA_suburban-loci_tree-in-deck The existing tree is a feature of the deck and provides shade to the extension Drew Echberg 4134 px 2756 px 3 MB A4 print |
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17. ABA_suburban-loci outdoor-eating1 A minimal modern covered outdoor eating area 850 px 1134 px 282 KB Print - Low res only |
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18. ABA_suburban-loci outdoor-eating2 A covered outdoor eating area with timber wall and polished concrete floor Ande Bunbury 1215 px 1620 px 552 KB Print - Low res only |
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19. Suburban Loci Existing Plan Ande Bunbury 1191 px 842 px 81 KB Print - Low res only |
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20. Suburban Loci Proposed Plan Ande Bunbury 1191 px 842 px 75 KB Print - Low res only |
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21. Suburban Loci Elevations Ande Bunbury 1191 px 842 px 154 KB Print - Low res only |
Description
How do you turn an orange brick 1950’s ugly duckling into a stunning contemporary home with good access to light and connection to garden? This house in the Eastern mid-suburbs of Melbourne only had a few good things going for it: it had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, many of the rooms had good north-facing access, and the original part of the house had characterful steel-framed corner windows, albeit in pretty terrible condition. On the downside, the house was dark, cold, a rabbit-warren and the only view from the house to the back garden was looking straight into the shed. In addition, there was a large deciduous Box Elder tree right outside the back door which needed to be retained.
The dark south side of the house was reassigned to service functions only, and a new courtyard. To get around small bedrooms without any storage, a number of walk-in-robes were built. New doors between living spaces open up to give more direct circulation, light penetration and views to the outside. The real highlight, however, is the tree which is now the centre around which the house revolves and provides a green shady aspect in summer and sun-filled living spaces in winter.
The small kitchen extension turns the house around to face to the north-facing rear garden across a large deck and outdoor eating area located around the tree. Given the Mediterranean background of one of the owners outdoor entertaining is a huge focus and the deck and outdoor dining area provide this beautifully. They have recently extended this even further with a built in woodfired pizza oven & outdoor lounge area. Aperol spritz anyone?
Questions and Answers
What were the key challenges?
The project site is triangular and the house form was a typical rectangle and didn't address the proportions (and opportunities) of the site. Trying to turn the house around to address the garden, whilst scarcely increasing the building footprint was complex. The biggest challenge was dealing with the large tree just outside the back of the house. This needed to be retained and the project designed around it.
Another more unusual challenge was having too much space on the shady south side of the house (once we moved the kitchen and dining room). They were dark, with no view, and a narrow width which was only suitable for service areas and storage.
What was the brief?
Although the house was large enough it did not meet the family's needs for storage and connection to garden. The living spaces were dark and circulation was circuitous with many spaces being too narrow to function well. Having been scarcely touched since it was built in the 1950s the clients wanted a full upgrade to the house including all wet areas and comprehensive new storage and a full energy efficiency makeover including insulation, upgrading windows and all energy systems. And probably most importantly, there was a large triangular back yard that the old house had no connection to which the clients wished to be open out to and host large scale outdoor entertaining.
What were the solutions?
ABA radically changed the use of all the public areas of the home. A courtyard was carved out of the existing house footprint to give more light and window access and new doorways opened up to simplify circulation and allow light to steam through the house. The lack of wardrobes in the small bedrooms was addressed by creating a number of walk-in-robes on the south side of the house. The real master stroke though was the addition of a kitchen/dining room and covered outdoor eating area at the back of the house. There is an adjoining timber deck which wraps around the large deciduous tree and these spaces turn the focus of the house 90 degrees to look down the length of the garden. The tree in the deck provides the summer shading and desirable winter sun to the new extension and adds a lovely natural character to the house.
What are the sustainability features?
A full sustainability and energy-efficiency makeover was done to the house, whilst retaining as much of the original structure as possible:
windows & doors
• All windows now have double glazing.
• Existing steel framed windows retained & repaired. Opening sashes replaced with double glazed panes
• New steel framed windows to key windows, with decorative glazing bars
• Thermally broken aluminium frames to back of house areas
• Salvaged frosted glass 50s internal doors
insulation
• under slab polystyrene waffle pod
• slab edge insulation R1.1 DOW Styrofoam RTM-X
• under existing suspended concrete slab (garage roof) R2.0 Foilboard Green 25
• brick walls R2.0 Foilboard Green 25
• stud frame walls R2.5 Earthwool batts
• roof R5.0 Earthwool batts
materials
• Holcim Ecomax polished concrete slab to new extension with 30% less Portland cement & 20% recycled aggregate
• recycled HW floorboards elsewhere
• Thermally treated European plantation pine shiplap external cladding
• low VOC emissions E0 board for joinery (hoop pine/MDF)
• large format porcelain tile benchtops (silicosis-free)
equipment
• existing hot water service retained.
• existing ducted heating and evaporative cooling retained
• Removable covers to vents http://greenityourself.com.au/projects/new-how-draught-proof-evaporative-cooling-vents
• Daikin airconditioning to Bedroom 1 & new kitchen
• Solar air heater
water
• Methven low flow taps and shower heads
• 5000L rainwater tank
• greywater diversion for garden watering
lighting
• Salvaged art deco pendant light fittings
• LED fittings from Bright Green & Masson For Light
• skylight added to S-facing bathroom to increase natural daylight
• existing pendant lights changed over to LED globes
Project team
| Galligan Builders | Builder | |
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Ande Bunbury Architects | Architect |
| John Gardner and Associates | Engineer |