jigsaw house

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	1. jigsaw house living jigsaw house living. furniture by mark tuckey 4000 px 2667 px 5 MB A4 print
	2. master bedroom suite 4000 px 2674 px 5 MB A4 print
	3. master ensuite - bathe under the stars beautiful materials and light, with mark tuckey stool 4000 px 6018 px 8 MB A3 print
	4. master ensuite the honey-hued stone tiles compliment the light-washed bathing area 5751 px 8637 px 16 MB A3 print
	5. master bedhead detail the bedhead and floating side tables infill the rake of the walls, utilising the rich materiality of the custom oak timber lining board. artwork by jazmina cininas 4000 px 5989 px 8 MB A3 print
	6. master bedhead detail with curtains light filled master bedroom bedhead and floating side tables infill the rake of the walls, utilising the rich materiality of the custom oak timber lining board. artwork by madeleine goodwolf. 4000 px 6064 px 8 MB A3 print
	7. stair and bookcase not an inch of floor space is wasted, and the circular stair pushes an indentation into the wall with the bespoke bookcase defining each space. chairs by mark tuckey. 4000 px 6000 px 13 MB A3 print
	8. steel clad master suite cantilevers over courtyard the raking steel clad form of the master suite hovers over the courtyard below 4000 px 6325 px 13 MB A3 print
	9. framed view of living area intersections of timer batters, steel soffit and sliding doors frame a view of the living area from the courtyard. 8688 px 5792 px 18 MB A3 print
	10. light bathes the kitchen A skylight shaft bathes the kitchen in light, also shared by a window from the master-suite robe above. The richness of the feature stone is enhanced by the custom oak veneer boards and spotted gum floorboards. 4000 px 6000 px 9 MB A3 print
	11. Discreet light sources The sliver of skylight washing light into the living area complimented by natural daylight flooding in from the light-shaft from the kitchen. furniture by mark tuckey, photographic artwork by gavin john. 4000 px 2664 px 5 MB A4 print
	12. master suite detail Desire - a framed view towards the beckoning hues of the master ensuite 4000 px 6000 px 9 MB A3 print
	13. living-kitchen area overview photographic artwork by gavin john 4000 px 2667 px 5 MB A4 print
	14. view out towards courtyard courtyard light is filtered in subtle ways across the 3 zones of kitchen, stair zone and living area. photographic artwork by gavin john, print by jazmina cininas. 4000 px 2645 px 6 MB A4 print
	15. study nook the study is a clever space slotted above bedroom 2 and under the heritage roof. print by madeleine goodwolf 4000 px 6000 px 11 MB A3 print
	16. 2314 px 2522 px 2 MB Print - Low res only
	17. the hovering form the dark steel clad form is contemporary yet contextual in the st kilda west heritage precinct 4000 px 2667 px 9 MB A4 print
	18. the street view a glimpse of the rear form from the street 6722 px 4481 px 17 MB A3 print
	19. existing floor plan 4962 px 3508 px 1 MB A4 print
	20. cross sections 4962 px 3508 px 1 MB A4 print
	21. first floor plan 4962 px 3508 px 952 KB A4 print
	22. ground floor plan. 4962 px 3508 px 1 MB A4 print
	23. 4000 px 2667 px 9 MB A4 print
	24. 4000 px 2667 px 8 MB A4 print

Description

Jigsaw House is a contemporary steel clad cantilevered extension to an dwelling interlocked and bookended with the red brick base of its origins and with timber a defining feature throughout. Designed to respect the intact heritage streetscape and the neighbourhood character in general, it encompasses a contextual approach that makes the most of natural light from surprising sources while remaining recessive from the street and neighbours.

Jigsaw House started as a single fronted, single storey, painted brick stucco Edwardian, located on York Street, St Kilda West. Sorely in need of a renovation and some additional rooms, and within a heritage overlay with sensitive planning constraints on neighbouring properties, the design had to resolve the competing imperatives of maximising the floor area set against the restraints of the Port Phillip heritage policy and building setback diagram.

The design respects the gable roof and stucco and brick detailing of the original home, incorporating red brick to the rear boundary. The extended first floor form is clad in dark steel and appears linear and balanced when viewed from the south streetscape, yet cantilevers over the courtyard in acute angle when viewed from the north courtyard below.

Space was tight and there was none to waste. Finding the solution was like a solving a puzzle. To make generous spaces it was necessary to borrow any surplus space from the adjacent spaces, and to direct light through the first floor to the ground floor below.

The solution to the puzzle of spaces of Jigsaw House was eventually found. Nothing is too big or too small and the resultant spaces are both finely scaled and generous. The interaction of the spaces with each other is effortless and yet subtly expressed.

Questions and Answers

Describe the 'puzzle-like' solutions?

Jigsaw House celebrates the constraints of the tight site and family home, and to achieve the desired accommodation and light, essentially all rooms interlink in some way. The spiral stair deflects the wall to the adjacent bedroom, the family bathroom pushes into the front bedroom. To reduce the overall height, the ground floor was lowered to natural ground level to the rear part of the site. At the top of the stair a study and terrace cut into the bedroom below and crouch in under the existing roof. The main bedroom has raked walls and ceiling to maximise the usable floor area and cantilevers over the courtyard to provide a generosity that belies the tautly scaled form.

Beyond the bedroom the delightful ensuite window gives views into trees beyond (and natural ventilation) and a large clear glazed skylight adds a sense of luxury to the bathing experience. One literally bathes under the stars.

The toilet is tucked in under the existing roofline to allow a more generous room (and twin handbasins). Another door from the bedroom leads into the walk in robe. the robe straddles the existing and new areas with constrained head height (it is partly under the existing roof) while a surprise louvre window allows views out the kitchen skylight to the roofscape beyond.

What are the sustainability features?

Sustainability was integral to the design. Every opportunity was made to bring in natural light, be it through raking skylights, borrowed-amenity skylights or the three north-facing sliding windows. All windows and doors have been double glazed and the insulation added to existing floor, roof and walls to provide a 21st century envelope.

Carpets and other materials have natural dyes and recyclable components for life-cycle carbon reduction. Paints and floor finishes are specified to be low-VOC so that the clients can move in straight away without headaches or chemical smells. A water tank has been installed under the ground and paving areas drain to rain-gardens to ameliorate stormwater impact.

Awards

Recently awarded a 'High Commendation' in the 2017 TIDA Australia Homes Awards - Architect-designed homes.

Details

Site size	180 m2
Completion date	2017
Building levels	2

Project team