Summary

House B is a renovation designed for a young family. A bold extension to a heritage terrace is defined by a translucent glass wall which lights the new living spaces, registering the blurry movements behind it while maintaining security and privacy from the street.

Statement

Trapped and shaded by a mess of lean-to extensions accumulated over 60 years by its previous owners, the project sought to open up and bring light into a typical skinny terrace, taking advantage of a prominent corner site.

Respectful of its heritage context and allowing the original terrace to maintain its prominence, the new extension dips down over the living spaces before rising at the back of the block, preventing overshadowing of neighbours and a new internal courtyard throughout the day. The side of the extension is defined by a translucent glass wall which brings light into the new living spaces, registering the blurry movements behind it, while maintaining security and privacy from the street.

Rather than an expansive extension, the strategy to minimise the footprint and create multifunctional and related spaces allowed the budget to be ‘concentrated’ on a smaller area and allowed for higher detailing and resolution across the low-cost project. Bedrooms and wet areas are split between the front heritage terrace for children and visitors and new parents retreat elevated over the garage at the back of the block.

The line where the renovated terrace meets its extension is strongly delineated through form and material externally and internally, a full width opening supported by an expressed steel frame in the back wall to clearly mark this transition. Materials and finishes are applied in blocks of colour or texture to define different elements of the house. The existing house has been renovated to emphasise its original detail and ornament, contrasting with brighter and stripped back new spaces which combine steel framing and glazing and plywood joinery.

Construction systems prioritised those which the owners could carry out themselves to minimise contracting out works or the need for specialist trades. Many materials were either repurposed – for example, the original bricks from the demolished section of the old house were cleaned on site and relaid - or others sourced to adapt leftovers or offcuts into the final product and save on building costs and waste.