The existing Queen Anne cottage offered significant opportunities and challenges in relation to heritage, siting, and topography, with a prominent position above street level, dual frontages and a steeply sloping rear yard.

In order to retain the charm of the cottage whilst addressing the client’s brief for a contemporary home, the design of the new addition involved the creation of a split level volume, with raking ceilings and voids inflecting the folds of the layered roof forms bridging old and new.

The functional arrangement of the cottage was mostly retained with minor modifications for service spaces. Accommodation includes living, dining and a kitchen, with two bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper level. A covered deck directly connects to the internal living space and provides access to both the pool and terraced garden. In conjunction with the landscaping design, the lap pool ties the garage volume to the house, coalescing the existing levels and vistas.

A unique aesthetic referring to the details, materiality and proportions of the existing dwelling is key to the design. This includes masonry wall panels, folding zinc roof/wall cladding, and rendered walls that create hierarchy for the volumetric expression of the addition and the secondary structures.