Major alterations and additions to a Federation era bungalow on a superb tree-line but busy thoroughfare in Sydney's inner Eastern suburbs. The scheme is conceived as a two level cubic form wrapped in zinc around a new north facing courtyard. Single family residence in a heritage conservation area. The transformed volume is now a smart contemporary addition to the historic milieu.

Originally a single storey brick and terra cotta tiled Federation residence with a c.1980s addition. The brief required the retention of the front verandah and 2 principal rooms of the original residence, retention of the pool and double garage. Family living, dining, kitchen and media are situated on the polished concrete ground floor, with 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms above. The master suite at the rear overlooks the garden and the double height living void. At some time in the past, the originally tuck-pointed brick had been painted.

The principal design strategy was to introduce a north-facing courtyard with green wall, and to lower the volume into the site to reconnect living an garden. This allows an interplay of views and transparencies between the two garden spaces. In order to accommodate the proposal within Council building envelopes the raised suspended ground floor is lowered to a new polished concrete slab.

The material intent was to ' distinguish + contrast' the old masonry from from the new brick base with a pre-weathered rheinzink in Titanium clad volume above. The muted dark tones of the Pewter brick with its matching off-black pigmented mortar and sharply raked joints provides a crisp anchoring of the base of the elongated home to its site. The pitted textured of the Pewter facebrick [PGH] contrasts with the smooth toned glass and Murobond mircaeous-painted PFC steel interlayer between the first floor and ground.Generous interlocking voids allow for spatial interaction between levels.