Brunning House

Tatjana Plitt

• Architects

Brunning House sees the expansion and reworking of an existing residence, extending the overall massing of the home both upward and deeper into the site. The proposal manages to tuck the new form visually behind the pitched roof of the existing cottage. Utilising a balancing of contrast and restraint to maximise the potential of the generous site, the result is a contemporary home with meaningful connections both internally and out into the surrounding landscape, all conceived while maintaining a grounded connection to the historical origins of the former cottage.

photo_credit Tatjana Plitt — Tatjana Plitt

Situated to the south of Melbourne, the Balaclava-based home redefines the narrative of both the previous chapters and owners that had come before, setting the foundations for the current. With the original architectural elements preserved and repaired where needed, the addition becomes a counterbalance to the formalised planning and separation to the front of the site. Contrastingly, the new spaces are planned as open and free flowing between one another, with expansive glazing that visually connects to the landscape.

While the original cottage has a delicacy to it which is both retained and reminiscent of its time, the new elements providing a weightedness to the site. The integration of a darker palette is then carried both internally and externally within the new, with an underlying monochromatic base intended for both the dynamism of the coming years, and for the need for a robustness of family life. With the original frontage remaining lighter and maintaining a rhythm to the streetscape, the darker form behind is designed to feel recessive and disappear as visually from approach. Despite the use of dark moments, a sense of warmth is created through the texture and textile selections, further emphasised by the integration of natural materials.

In navigating the narrowness of the site, the most challenging element was ensuring a consistent interplay with natural light between both the old and new. In introducing the two-level volume to the rear, extended amenity and additional valuable floor area is added, concealing storage within the architecture. Inviting light down, the staircase plays multiple roles as well as being the main connection vertically. The additional relocates the main bedroom into a cantilevered space above the living areas, with the clearly defined planning to the front ideal for the more recessive zones (sleeping, focus and retreat). Allowing then for the combined kitchen, dining, and living to be the place of passive activity and connection.

In enhancing both light and dark moments throughout, Brunning House becomes a celebration of the various chapters of the home and those who had a hand in crafting them.