We kick off this year’s program with a look at two outstanding entrants to the Grand Designs Australia Magazine House of the Year Awards.
We are calling on Australian architects to enter their best designs for a chance to win this prestigious award and huge exposure in the magazine and across its online and social media platforms.
We are looking for brilliant client outcomes in residential buildings, conversions, significant renovations or restoration projects. We are searching for interesting elements in terms of design, use of materials and construction to deliver a project that shines.
1. The Bridge House – Kister Architects and Basis Builders
Located in Caulfield, the original home was a double-storey, ‘70s, split-level home in need of reimagining. After acquisition of the neighbouring block of land to the south, the project changed from a single-site, double-storey extension to a double-site, single-level extension. The homeowners wanted to create a home that would grow with their family.
The brief was to marry the historical roots of this ‘70s house by designing a contemporary extension that references its modernist beginnings. The original home was located on the north side of the double block. Of the two homes, this was the house the clients decided to preserve despite it being more challenging to fully maximise orientation.
Instead of a traditional extension with a double-storey rear, the new master wing extended over the recently acquired southern site, maximising light, privacy and interaction with the landscape. As a primary response, the original ‘70s concrete motif was stretched away from the original building, creating sinuous and sculptural exterior arches. The curved shroud conceals the main bed from the neighbour’s view but maintains connection to nature and light. A concealed glass bridge offers the master retreat visual transparency, helping the room appear more generous while also allowing a connection to the landscaped exterior.
Landscape architects were engaged early in the sketch design phase to get an integrated, thoughtful and holistic vision for the entire site. The glazed bridge and separated retreat, sunken living room and glazed dining area breaks the home into spaces that address the many varied aspects of the landscape. The architectural landscape walls respond to the architecture, creating many moments to explore.
The approach was to blur the existing structure with the new, creating a seamless composition that respects the original design elements. The entry was redesigned with a curved glazed wall, allowing light to spill into a once dark, enclosed undercroft. The semi-curved entry, sitting behind the original archways, was constructed to create an organic sculptural space that also allows for better engagement with the landscape. White-on-white concrete flooring meets the original terrazzo and bright-blue plush carpet, while burnt-orange velvet couches and timber-enveloped interiors pay homage to the home’s 1970s origins. The original glazed skylight was scaled up and wrapped in timber to create a connection with both the trees and sky beyond.
Timber-lined walls, custom bronze glass and sunken pit with flocked carpet pay respect to the home’s history. The design considers every member of the family by providing zoning that accommodates a generous kitchen and lounge, ideal for entertaining as well as privacy.
Sustainable principles have been adopted throughout: skylights allow natural light throughout internal spaces, heat gain is controlled through thermally broken high-performance double glazing, and high levels of insulation are included — solar panels, solar battery, battery connection for car, solar HWU, hydronic heating, extensive cross ventilation, solar pool heating and ceiling fans all work to minimise energy use while maximising liveability. Every room has a connection to natural light and the floor levels were modified to allow for direct connection to the natural ground and landscape. And motorised external blinds, integrated with flylock, protect the full-height glazing from the elements.
Now located on a generous suburban block, the new home sensitively integrates contemporary notions of family living with iconic architecture from a celebrated era. The home embodies biophilic principles focusing on connection to landscape and flexible living, while also enhancing the existing home.
Words supplied by Ilana Kister. Photography by Peter Bennetts. kisterarchitects.com.au; basisbuilders.com.au
2. Barwon Heads House – Adam Kane Architects and Technique Construction Group
Previously labelled as “the dump”, a run-down weatherboard cottage in coastal Barwon Heads, Victoria, has been transformed into a modern home through the use of texture, tone, and an extensive understanding of the sense of space. The facade of the renovated cottage has been painted black, which contemporises the home, creates impact and sets it apart from the deliberately weathered yet refined “barn-style” extension.
The brief was to create a home, designed for a young couple, that exemplified the relaxed, coastal lifestyle of Barwon Heads. The renovation needed to allow for entertaining and to maintain a strong connection between inside and out, old and new.
Inside, the light interior is contrasted by new charcoal floorboards. Heritage features are preserved through the use of the original (and now restored) lining board ceilings, as well as period skirting and architraves, which fit perfectly with the fresh tones. As you walk through the existing home towards the extension via a glazed link, previews to the garden are revealed from either side and a flowing connection between old and new is initiated.
An enclosed corridor allows access to the extension. It’s lined with black-mottled joinery panels on walls and ceilings and is used to disguise doorways into the rumpus, laundry and storage areas. Walking through this dark corridor with a lower 2.4m-high ceiling (to facilitate the master bedroom mezzanine above) creates a sense of compression, before a sense of release when walking towards the living room, where the line of sight is funnelled forward to where the gable opens up into the main space. This creates curiosity about the transformation from old to new.
In the main space, a double-height 6.5m-high American oak-lined raked ceiling opens up the room. This change in volume and height draws attention to the abundance of space. Director at Adam Kane Architects, Adam Kane, says he “deliberately played on the sense of space using compression and release to create a unique and unexpected experience as you move through the home”.
The raked ceiling is lined in the same timber v-grooved lining as the rest of the home, which wraps from internal ceilings through to external cladding. “The timber lining/cladding also helped us blur the threshold between inside and out, delineating zones, making spaces feel more generous, and contributing to the relaxed feel of the home,” adds Adam.
Complementing the desaturated timber ceilings and joinery, slabs of silver travertine and burnished concrete floors are accompanied with hand-scratched solid plaster walls in a soft, warm bone colour. Linen sheer curtains add softness and a feeling of comfort to the space. “It was essential we incorporated the relaxed coastal lifestyle of Barwon Heads to this home, and we’ve done that through understanding the original space while giving it new life in the renovation,” says Adam.
In the main room, a large island bench lined in travertine becomes a centrepiece. It transforms seamlessly from kitchen bench into the dining table through a discreet floor level change within the kitchen area. This creates an informal area to entertain and gather and was thought to be a refined solution to “stepping” the benchtop heights. The back-bench joinery extends into the living area, connecting the two spaces together.
Textural, natural materials complement the history and environment of the home perfectly while adding durability. The architect played with light and dark, solid and void, as well as materiality to create a truly unique home that will be enjoyed for years to come.
Photography by Timothy Kaye. adamkane.com.au; techniqueconstruction.com.au
The Grand Designs Australia Magazine House of the Year Awards 2022/23 are proudly brought to you by our Gold sponsor, Cosh Living, Silver sponsor, Rylock Windows & Doors, and trade partners Hoxter, Dovre, Kalora, Big Ass Fans, Caesarstone, GoodWe, Scandia, Karndean Designflooring and Dollar Curtains + Blinds.