Princes Street.
On a modest inner city block, the environmentally friendly additions to a worker’s cottage are ‘a collection of spaces’.
Location Croydon SA
Area 80m2 Addition
Architect Jon Lowe
Structural Engineer Jim Wilson
Builder Evoque Homes
Completed 2012-14
Photography Belinda Monck
The brief was to create a flexible open plan living space that minimises energy use and maximises the north aspect, while rebuilding the wet areas, reclaiming a bedroom, and respecting the existing heritage building.
From the simple brick front rooms to the wartime austerity of the original lean-to, the modest turn-of-century residence has been simply restored.
The kitchen and bathroom have been demolished and reclaimed as a private service courtyard, and a leafy dining courtyard which provides welcome light and ventilation for the rooms adjacent the sun-filled link between old and new.
The low cost addition takes advantage of the length of the block by placing the new living space deep in the back yard and using the wet areas to separate the public and private spaces.
The spacious kitchen commands a central view into each outdoor space, allowing access to passive ventilation and casual observation of the client’s young family.
A double height space has been created by cleverly twisting the upper floor to the north, with a flexible mezzanine library accessible via a quirky ladder.
The extra height enhances the addition’s generosity of light, and exhausts hot air via motorised louvres and draws cooling breezes through the south-facing windows. The steel frame is expressed at the rear and is folded back to expose the interior to sunlight appropriate to the site orientation.
A simple palette is maintained internally, with dark charcoal painted timber-framed windows, warm-toned EO plywood, low VOC polished concrete flooring, and recycled brick paving.
Sustainability has been embraced throughout the project from the form of the new volumes to the selection of the materials.
