According to the architect
A plan to purchase an extra bit of land from the owners corporation allowed the unique reconfiguration of this single bedroom villa unit into a much more amenable dwelling of three bedrooms.
Consideration of how the extension and outdoors spaces would work together to maximise the sense of outlook and openness was critical to making the home feel more generous.
Where the previous one bedroom design wrapped around a central courtyard, the introduction of counterpoint deck space with built in planter box creates a band of outdoors that bisects the home, creating wide views out from all living spaces.
An existing difference in levels was exploited to allow the new living area to be lowered and enjoy a higher ceiling over. An abundance of integrated cabinetry including a concealed study nook makes the most of the limited space.
Part of a group of ten villa units, the reworked home was designed to work with the existing textures commonplace in the 1960s development. A simple material palette of recycled brick, plywood and Australian hardwood timber are both contemporary and classic and complement the original elements that have been retained.
It's a rare opportunity to convert a single bedroom villa unit, into much more flexible three bedroom villa unit. To do so while maintaining multiple outdoors spaces and not building out much of the space is unique.
Recycled Bricks were used as the main cladding material. All rainwater is captured and stored in a water tank on site. This water is then used to flush both toilets.
The house has a good capacity for cross ventilation across the livings spaces, due to opening windows in multiple walls. Solar panels to the roof provide power to the grid. Adaptable retracting blinds allow external shading of glazing.
Key challenges were to make the most of the corridor spaces and add as much use to them as possible. Therefore, they function as laundry hampers area, book shelving, and a study nook, as well as allowing an acoustic separation between bedroom spaces and livings spaces.
Working with the existing dwelling to maintain the look that the building is still part of the group of units. Each other unit deviates slightly in configuration from the other, but the common language of composition still is evident.
This is a positive characteristic which makes the wider group of buildings feel consistent and still of the one design type. I felt it was necessary that the new works didn't go rogue and depart from the old works too much, but for the sake of all the other owners maintained and reinforced the original design.
