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Project Overview

Set within an established heritage precinct in Middle Park and on a very prominent corner site, the brief to turn a heritage shop into a five bedroom house and create an eye catching form was a tantalizing prospect.

Project Commissioner

Private Client

Project Creator

Ewert Leaf Pty Ltd

Team

Architects: Ewert Leaf Pty Ltd
Director/Project Architect: Toby Ewert
Director/Design Architect: Will Leaf
Architect: Jin Xiu Tee
CAD: Jason Mooi

Interior Design:
Meme Design

Builder: Just Build It - James Hillenaar

Metal Work Artist - Mark Douglass

Project Brief

The key elements to the addition were an open plan living and dining space as well as a master bedroom with ensuite and walk in robe on the upper floor. This parents retreat would form the basis of the cantilevered structure that floated over the living space below. To the rear of the site was a new two car garage and a fully contained studio above.
A romantic play on architecture was the key driver to the final design resolution and the main impetus for the Fraser St façade. Our concept for this structure was to clad the this section with an articulated corten steel cladding system that would be laser cut with a leaf motif to soften the impact of the building.In order to develop this feature in detail we collaborated with artist Mark Douglass who assisted with the fabrication of the sheet metal.
The interior design was a collaboration with Meme Design. The design team placed importance on referencing some of the raw exterior elements and corten Steel screens were used to help define the double height entry void whilst feature leaf tiling was used in the ensuite.

Project Innovation/Need

A prominent corner in an affluent suburb meant that the opportunity to create a visual impact for an open minded client was a fantastic opportunity. However this aesthetic of the design had to also sustain the spatial functional requirements of the brief, and address the contrast both externally and internally of the existing heritage building with the new contemporary addition.
Use of the corten articulated facade not only acknowledged a form of urban canopy in response to the leafy tree lined streets, but also to coexist with the salty sea air of the nearby bay. Rather than work against the elements, the corten screen would rust with the sea air and add character over time to a modern structure.

Design Challenge

The challenge was the conflicting requirements of the heritage controls and the client’s desire for a significant increase in floor area. This tension divulged the inevitable question of how to seamlessly integrate this expansive modern addition with the existing building?
The key to justifying this significant increase in floor area with council was to convince the client that the cantilevered upper floors should include decorative elements that would reference the same hand crafted design ideals of the heritage shop. This romantic play on architecture was the key driver to the final design resolution and the primary impetus for the Fraser St façade.
Our concept for this structure was to clad this section with an articulated corten steel cladding system that would be laser cut with a leaf motif to soften the impact of the building, and an acknowledgement to the surrounding tree lined streets.
By creating movement in the facade, and glazed visual interfaces to the heritage red bricks, this diffused the bulk of built form to the boundary, and subsequently allowed the upper floor to “float” above the red brick plinth wall below.

Sustainability

The focus on sustainability was to retain and reuse as much as possible from the existing heritage building and add into the new addition - this was through reusing red bricks to form the ground floor plinth, and also reinstating the interior of the dwelling back to what it was in the original section.
Water tanks and raingardens helped with on site water conservation of the site.

Architecture - Residential - Constructed

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. 

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