Hasta La Ideas

Australian architect Christopher Polly has converted a small Sydney bungalow into a two-storey house by adding extra rooms behind and underneath.

The extension more than doubles the floor area of Cosgriff House, a family residence in the Sydney suburb of Annandale. At ground floor level the plan extends to accommodate a new bathroom, bedroom and study room, while the extra storey below adds a large open-plan living and dining room at the same level as the garden.

Christopher Polly designed the extension as an asymmetric volume that initially follows the hipped profile of the house’s original roof but then angles up further to let in light through high-level windows.

The structure features an all-black exterior combining fibre-cement panels with black window and door surrounds, designed to complement the brown tones of the original brickwork facade.

A new staircase leads down from the ground floor to the large basement living room. The base of the stairs never meets the floor, creating the impression of a floating structure, while new storage closets are tucked into the space beneath.

Glazed panels open the living room out to the garden beyond. The architect has also integrated a system of louvred shutters that can be used to screen this elevation when residents want more privacy.

Other recently completed houses in Australia include a Melbourne residence with the silhouette of three little buildings and a Queensland house designed to withstand cyclones. See more houses in Australia.

Photography is by Brett Boardman.

Here’s a project description from Christopher Polly:

Cosgriff House

The project retains its original envelope as part of its environmental, economic and planning values. A substantial lower ground living volume is sensitively inserted beneath the original fabric to harness the fall in the site towards the rear, extending deeply beneath the existing dwelling and outwards towards the garden to transform it – while a re-crafted rear ground floor above enfolds the existing rhythm of front rooms over the new lower ground below.

Both levels accept a modestly-sized lightweight addition which extrapolates existing wall alignments, gutter levels and enclosing wall heights – that at once, extends and subverts existing geometries to present an interpreted mirrored slice of the original vernacular form attached to the retained rear fabric. An eccentric roof form extrapolates the original southern roof plane to mitigate adjacent impacts – lifting to light and tree views to the east, while also folding upwards for access to northern light and sky through a sole fire-rated window along the boundary.

The majority of the project is carefully crafted within the retained masonry and hipped roof envelope. Vaulted ceilings and skylights carved within the original roof form expand volumes for access to light and sky within the middle of the ground floor – while consciously surrendered floor area permits a generous stair void that spatially expands to the lower level below, and upwards to views of the external environment to strengthen connections to its setting.

Utilities located deep within the semi-subterranean rear of the lower ground enable direct connection of the living space to the garden and jacaranda tree, while the re-worked ground floor above adds a bathroom, main bedroom and adaptable bedroom providing flexibility for future use as a study. Fenestration placement improves natural light access and promotes passive ventilation, assisted by ceiling fans and a roof venting system to exhaust trapped heat out of the original roof space.

Location: Annandale, Sydney Australia
Architect: Christopher Polly Architect
Structural Engineer: SDA Structures
Hydraulic Engineer: ACOR Consultants
Builder: R.G.Gregson Constructions

Land Size: 370 sqm
Floor Area: 167 sqm
Completion: December 2012

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by Christopher Polly appeared first on Dezeen.

A wooden wall with the silhouette of three little buildings lines the edge of this house extension in Melbourne by Australian architecture studio BLOXAS (+ slideshow).

Profile House is located within the industrial district of Brunswick East, so BLOXAS designed a new facade that would reference the surrounding brick and corrugated iron warehouses, as well as the timber-clad exterior of the original building.

The front entrance to the house remains in its previous location on the northern elevation, while the new rough-sawn ash facade grows out of a boundary fence on the western perimeter and stretches out along the length of the site.

The extension doubles the size of the single-storey house. The architects retained three front rooms and one small bathroom, then increased the size of the kitchen and dining room and added a new children’s playroom, living room and en suite bedroom beyond.

The zigzagging profile of the building gives angled ceilings to each of the new spaces and brings daylight in through high-level windows and rooflights.

“The defining character of each internal space is the high undulating ceilings,” says BLOXAS director Anthony Clarke. “These, assisted by a central wharf-decking courtyard and smaller lightwell to the west, allow natural light to penetrate throughout the entire plan.”

The long narrow lightwell sits behind the western elevation, while the split-level courtyard is tucked into a recess on the east side of the building so that both the dining room and living room can open out to it.

Most of the new rooms feature bamboo flooring, apart from the living room that has a polished concrete ground surface.

Clarke established BLOXAS, short for Black Line One X Architecture Studio, in 2009 and the studio is based in Fitzroy North, Victoria. See more Australian architecture on Dezeen.

Photography is by Peter Bennetts.

Here’s a project description from BLOXAS:

Profile House

The Profile House offers an evocative tribute to the defined industrial typology of Brunswick East, in Melbourne’s inner north. Simple planning creates clean, elegant and sculptural internal living spaces.

Seeking an addition to their typically dark Californian Bungalow, the clients emphasised the sustainable performance of their future home. Accordingly, they described a space with a feeling of openness, lightness, and visual continuity, connecting their home and landscape.

These values were reinforced by their professions, one specialising in environmental site characterisation and remediation, and the other practicing alternative medicine.

Located in a semi-industrial zone, the site offers visual proximity to the area’s brick and corrugated iron warehouses. Some warehouses and factories are still operational, whilst many lie dormant and in disrepair, ripe for either their imminent demise or redevelopment into multi-storey apartment blocks.

A strong internal vertical profile extrudes to form the western elevation. Clad with rough-sawn overlapping Victorian Ash timber, this distinct contour continues along the western boundary as the defining architectural expression of the Profile House, whilst delivering on the brief of a secure building.

The defining character of each internal space is the high undulating ceilings, these, assisted by a central wharf-decking courtyard and smaller light-well to the west, allow natural light to penetrate throughout the entire plan.

In addition to the retention of three front rooms and central bathroom, the plan now features a re-worked kitchen and dining area, an informal children’s area, and new living space. A new main bedroom, ensuite and private garden are also incorporated. The overall design strengthens family engagement and visual communication, reinforcing the relationships between space and activity.

In addition to dependable design strategies such as careful plan orientation and cross ventilation, solar hot water and water harvesting systems were also included, as well as the use of north facing thermal mass in the main living space. Natural material choices and finishes of low embodied energy including: un-seasoned, un-milled Victorian ash timber, and bamboo flooring through-out the addition adhered to the client’s environmental stipulations.

A refreshing change from housing that simply maximises developer returns, neighbours have responded appreciatively to the low scale design, whilst maintaining the area’s built integrity. In a subtle move the project further softens the corner, with the use of the timber in the boundary wall, juxtaposing against the materials of the factories.

This compact, economical and highly livable outcome was a result of inclusive dialogue between all consultants, the builder, architect and in particular the client.

Architect: Black Line One X Architecture Studio.
Location: Brunswick East, Melbourne, Australia.
Builder: Genjusho
Project year: 2012
Areas: Site = 371sq.m, Existing house area = 87sq.m, Additional area = 83sq.m
Furniture: ‘Earl Pinto’ and Ross Gardam

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by BLOXAS appeared first on Dezeen.

Australian architects MPRDG were inspired by the shapes of tree branches to add a privacy screen across the glass-fronted upper storey of this family house in the Sydney suburb of Bronte (+ slideshow).

Named Hewlett House, the three-storey residence is sited on a hillside close to the seafront and was designed as the home for a builder who specialises in complicated concrete shapes, so the architects planned a twisted upper storey that faces out towards the water.

“The underlying design intent was to explore the notion of ‘prospect and refuge’ within a contemporary family house,” says MPRDG, explaining the “prospect” to be “the beach and coast views”, while the “refuge” is the creation of a “sense of sanctuary, enclosure and comfort”.

Living and dining rooms are located on the uppermost floor to benefit from the views. With an open-plan layout, the space has glazed elevations to the north and south that let daylight and sea breezes filter though.

Four bedrooms occupy the ground floor, but are pushed to the back for privacy, while a spiralling staircase at the front leads down to a second living room that opens out to a garden and swimming pool at the lowest level of the site.

A glass-reinforced concrete structure shapes the building into its three levels, which all feature chunky outlines and chamfered edges. More curved and angled forms are added inside the building, from the twisted concrete body of the staircase to the slanted columns and circular skylight.

Floors are finished in either oak or concrete, but walls and ceilings are painted white throughout.

Other houses completed recently in Australia include a blackened timber residence outside Melbourne and a cyclone-proof building in Queensland. See more Australian houses on Dezeen.

Photography is by John Gollings.

Here’s a project description from MPRDG:

The long standing client is a builder whom we have successfully worked with on several projects previously. He was open to ideas and had an ability to build complex forms and intricate details. The brief was for a modern family home to accommodate a couple and their three children. The house is located on the northern flank of the Bronte gully with views towards Bronte beach and the coastline beyond.

Our design response was to place the living spaces on the upper floor as better views and more light were available. The bedrooms were located on the middle floor as this was more private and enclosed. The lowest floor has a rumpus area linking the garden and swimming pool to the house.

The underlying design intent was to explore the notion of “prospect and refuge” within a contemporary family house. The “prospect” was the beach and coast views to the south of the site which change constantly depending on the season, weather and time of day. The “refuge” was the other desirable character where we created a quality of space that provides a sense of sanctuary, enclosure and comfort.

These two driving desires for the house were explored and accommodated through devising two sculpted concrete forms responding to their particular use. The forms are rounded at the edges similar to tubes which are independent of each other enabling the upper tube to twist towards the view.

The upper tube is open-ended which allows the northern winter sun to penetrate deeply into the living spaces while allowing an unimpeded outlook to the southern view. The form also provides efficient passive ventilation drawing the prevailing north-east breeze through the house.

On the two lower levels the character of the spaces changes to places of privacy and refuge. The middle tube houses the bedrooms, each with a different aspect and outlook. The lower level has a cave like atmosphere with the room formed by a cut bedrock wall and a dark stone floor connecting the internal and external spaces. The pool provides a water element spanning between the rock wall and the garden.

The house boldly sits as a modern insertion into the typically poor building stock of its surrounding environment. The context is of varying building styles, scales and materials so the house creates a deliberate contrast in form and colour. The homogenous appearance of the house allows the forms to be emphasised by sun and shadow with the play of light continually shifting and moving with the path of the sun.

Detail elements have drawn upon surrounding natural forms for inspiration. For example, the angled bands on the front façade reference the tree branches of the native eucalypts. They also serve as a privacy screen for the dining space behind the façade.

Above: site plan – click for larger image

Above: lower ground floor plan – click for larger image

Above: ground floor plan – click for larger image

Above: first floor plan – click for larger image

Above: section A to A – click for larger image

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by MPRDG appeared first on Dezeen.

This rural residence outside Melbourne by architects Studio Four features a blackened timber exterior and terraces that step down a hill (+ slideshow).

Ridge Road Residence is located in the grounds of a golf course on Mornington Peninsula and sits beside a tea tree on a gently sloping site.

Studio Four rejected the raised podium approach adopted by other houses in the area and instead planned a building that staggers down on a series of split levels. The terraces sit at the lowest levels, surrounded by long grasses that protect them from the prevailing winds.

An open-plan living and dining room opens out to one of the terraces, which is framed by a cube of timber columns and joists.

Inside this room, a double-height window stretches across the end wall to frame a view of the nearby tea tree.

“We sought to create a quality of space that provides a sense of sanctuary, enclosure and comfort,” say the architects. “Emphasis was placed upon capturing the varying qualities of light, the scale and proportions of space, and providing a tangible connection with the building’s surrounds, both in topography and landscape.”

The kitchen runs along the rear of the living room, against a wall of matte black panels that conceal utility rooms. An ensuite bedroom is located just beyond and is raised up to become the uppermost level.

Blackened timber clads the entire exterior, while each window has dark-tinted glass intended to reflect the surrounding landscape. “By using pared-back forms and detailing and a restrained palette of materials the emphasis becomes not on the insular and what has been ‘designed in’, but what nature has provided,” add the architects.

All windows are full height to maximise daylight into the house, while concrete floors and thick block walls help to hold in the heat.

Other black houses we’ve featured recently include a weekend house in Chiba and a writer’s hideaway in upstate New York. See all our stories about black houses.

See more houses in Australia, including an isolated hilltop house with a dramatic cantilever.

Here’s a more detailed project description from Studio Four:

Site Context

It is difficult to gain more than a glimpse of the dwelling through the surrounding vegetation. Where the house is visible, it blends within the landscape, the black timber cladding and dark reflective glass selected to help dematerialise the building form from its natural surrounds.

The front elevation comprises solely of blackened timber walls, punctured only to signify the entry. From the street the scale of the house is deceptively modest, the second, lower level is non apparent. The building form sits low, within the existing native grasses, promoting opportunities to connect intimately with the landscape.

Conceptual Framework

The site for this new house is located within the Moonah Links golf course, on the Mornington Peninsula. A simple brief and program requirements, teamed with a dramatic site characterised by a steep slope and a single tea tree, enabled the design to become an exploration into enclosing the basic rituals of domestic life within restrained building forms, whilst at the same time exposing the building’s program to varying levels of interaction with the surrounding landscape, both immediate and beyond.

In stark contrast to the surrounding houses, which attempt to cancel out the sloping topography by creating a podium level at which the outdoor areas sit exposed high above ground level, the design for this house adopted a gentler strategy, with the building form spilling down the slope to terminate in a series of terraced decks. These low lying decks provide privacy from the golf course below, whilst the surrounding native landscape shelters the outdoor areas from harsh prevailing winds.

Varying levels of interaction and connection with the landscape, both real and perceived, drove all aspects of the design, from the channelled views of the horizon upon entry, through to the double height picture window that captures the full proportion of the tea tree, and the direct and intimate connection provided by the low level decks.

Program Resolution

We sought to create a quality of space that provides a sense of sanctuary, enclosure and comfort. Emphasis was placed upon capturing the varying qualities of light, the scale and proportions of space, and providing a tangible connection with the building’s surrounds, both in topography and landscape. Through the building’s design, the client is able to experience many aspects of the surrounding landscape, whether it be a direct or perceived experience, whilst at the same time maintaining a high level of privacy from the golf course below.

The form of the building was also driven by the desire to separate the public and private zones of the residence. The kitchen, dining and living spaces are combined to create a single, fluid area, delineated only by a gentle level change and a fireplace / storage element. These elements provide the level of intimacy required by the client whilst also allowing the advantages provided by open planning.

The panelised matte black wall to the kitchen conceals a powder room, laundry and butler’s pantry, providing the high level of functionality required, while maintaining the calm qualities of the open plan space.

Cost / Value Outcome

Our challenge was to demonstrate that a custom architectural solution could achieve our client’s budget whilst responding directly to the essence of the site and its location. The house demonstrates that we could not only capture the sense of place, but we could also deliver a competitive cost effective solution. By using pared back forms and detailing and a restrained palette of materials the emphasis becomes not on the insular and what has been ‘designed in’, but what nature has provided and drawing this readily available ‘genius loci’ inside for all to experience.

Sustainability Statement

The design for this house stems from an exploration into the absence of what is not necessary, in both building form and detail, which is at the core of sustainable design.

Renewable timber was selected as the primary building material. Used both internally and externally, its natural aesthetic properties are complemented by the low energy levels required in its production, which significantly reduce the environmental impact of the building.

The design located the eastern end of the lower level below the natural ground line, with concrete slab flooring and block work walls providing a high thermal mass, to balance the large expanses of glazing to the north and west. The upper level is cantilevered, with the timber construction incorporating high levels of insulation throughout.

With views to the golf course to the west, all windows and glazed doors were double glazed with high performance glass, enabling a strong connection to the landscape without compromising the integrity of the building fabric. The existing tea tree became a critical element to the locations of windows, providing sun shading to the internal living areas. Access to daylight was maximised, with all windows full height, and predominantly openable to maximise natural ventilation throughout.

These core sustainable design principles were teamed with underground water storage, water saving fixtures, low voc paints and materials, to complete the sustainable approach. Following completion of the house, the site is being re-vegetated with native species endemic to the local area.

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by Studio Four appeared first on Dezeen.

Steps built into the kitchen counter lead up to a suspended staircase in this Melbourne house by Australian architects Edwards Moore.

The open-plan living area on the ground floor is dominated by the angular red kitchen island.

Five steps in one side of it link up with the staircase, which hangs down from the first floor and is encased in yellow walls.

Upstairs, extensive storage is provided by a corridor of wooden wardrobes painted yellow and black.

The master bedroom and ensuite bathroom can be screened off with a sliding door.

A bath made from eucalyptus wood provides an unusual focal point in the bedroom.

A sink and shower room are concealed in the area behind the bath.

Other Melbourne projects by Edwards Moore we’ve featured on Dezeen include an art studio in a car park and an apartment fitted with chipboard furniture.

See all our stories about Edwards Moore »
See all our stories about Australian houses »
See our new Pinterest board of staircases »

Photographs are by Fraser Marsden.

Here’s some more text from the architects:

The renovation of an existing suburban house into a new home for our most colourful clients to date. A playful and vibrant insertion of elements within the newly created open plan space creates a seamless connection between levels, and a gentle transition between the functions for living.

Click above for larger image

The use of carefully sited geometries created the path of travel and necessary separations without the need for doors or corridors. Each element is made from a striking material and colour palette, intended to support the development of the occupants’ ongoing stylistic expression.

Click above for larger image

Downstairs, the new open plan living area is defined by the oversized Marblo island bench and suspended staircase.

Click above for larger image

Upstairs, the wardrobes create a generous entrance to the master bedroom, the black satin stained blackbutt wood lining contrasting with the vivid yellow lining of the stairs, which seamlessly wraps up the wall to become the enclosure for the wardrobe.

Once in the master bedroom the custom made blackbutt wood bath becomes the focus of the room around which the en-suite is arranged. Various levels of privacy ensure the space remains expansive yet modest.

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by Edwards Moore appeared first on Dezeen.