The underlying principle for the project was to create a new family dwelling on a parcel of land which existed in a spatial sense but not a title sense.
The core idea was to set about annexing off the “backyard” of the Client’s two existing pre-war houses to create a framework to infill with a new residence. The philosophy of this idea lay in consolidating the urban grain of the area via an increased built form density and maintaining the Client’s childhood relationships with the suburb.
Contextually the site is located behind the two previously mentioned pre-war houses, adjacent to a 1970’s 2 storey brick and tile dwelling which abuts Department of Housing units and across the road from a neighbourhood retail centre. The new dwelling does not in any way attempt to mimic or replicate these existing built forms and seeks to establish its own identity within the street. The form of the new building is linear in nature and creates a simple idea of “head and tail” with the composition of the building addressing the street forming the “head” whilst the “tail” recedes towards the rear of the site.
The initial program called for a modern contemporary family dwelling which responded to the local issues of privacy and security. The brief established sleeping on the upper level and living on the lower level. A linear circulation spine which accommodates the central stair acts as the organizer of the building both in plan and section. The house sits 1m above the ground plane to achieve a sectional change in level from the street which contributes to reinforcing the separation of private and public realm. A steel trellis structure also defines a horizontal transition spatially between the street and the house. The space below the trellis effectively acts as an outdoor garden room.
An understanding that the site would incur construction cost pressures due to its inner city location and the size of the parcel of land was acknowledged with the early establishment of a simple rectilinear planning diagram. This diagram was reinforced by the introduction of a series of linear blade walls with suspended slab infill which provided an uncomplicated and robust building method.
The core idea of a new house on an infill parcel of inner city land was seen as being of primary benefit to the environment in a broad view scenario. A dwelling created in an inner city area which already has access to existing transportation networks, services and amenities was seen as being a much more desirable outcome that one in which the same dwelling may have been created in an outer lying suburb with none of the above.
