This unique extension transforms a modest 1950s home into an award winning hybrid cottage-meets-cubist double-storey construction.
IN BRIEF
Design an extension to the house, including master bedroom, en suite and study. Also add a sunroom or large living area at the back of the house for the whole family to enjoy.
ARCHITECT’S WORDS
“We should put a shipping container on the roof.” A provocative early comment that became fundamental to the way in which we approached the Slater White extension, with the original structure being left untouched and the new additions clearly visible. While not a radical approach, we believe it is significant because in this case the original structure was a humble ‘guvvie’-type house. Nevertheless, we felt it had a simple integrity that we could not ignore, and wanted to explore how it could be extended to form a modern family house.
In this regard, our clients - Ben Slater and Michelle White - were very supportive. The way in which the new extension relates to the original house is the key to an understanding of the design concept—and is the reason why the shipping container analogy is appropriate.
We placed a long, rectangular box clad in metal sheeting to contain the parents’ zone on top of the existing house. Running counter to the axis of the existing house, this lightweight ‘fuselage’ straddles the existing house from the front entry, where it cantilevers out at first floor level to provide a sheltered porch, to the rear yard where it drops down to becomes a two-storey element No attempt has been made to marry the extension to the original house, and neither has been allowed to subjugate the other. Instead, the old and the new have equal integrity. In spite of the most obvious contrasts—form, material, and geometric axis—between the two, there is some correlation, such as the similarity between the red Colorbond cladding and the brickwork. The shift between the two axes provided opportunities for formal investigation, particularly in the interiors. The upper level is separated from the original structure, yet is conceptually anchored to it by the central ‘fulcrum’ of the stair tower rising from below.
The angles of other elements—the end walls, balcony, walk - in wardrobe and study—are each articulated in response to one or other of the axes. Similar themes are carried through in section and detail. The addition is visually separated from the original structure by the grid pattern of its external wall cladding, which follows the slope of the roof rather than the floor plane.
This provided further opportunities for surprises and shifts as one moves around the house—such as side windows to the first floor box, which follow the rake of the external grid rather than the horizontal floor plane. A series of plywood cupboards at the corner junction between hall and kitchen represent a microcosm of the house: playfully responding to the overlapping geometries which come together at that point, these comprise a variety of storage units with concealed hardware that open up in surprising ways, much like a puzzle box. Our intention has been to create a house that not only satisfies our clients’ requirements, but also engages and delights them with a design whose subtle inflections encourage a sense of discovery, provide stimulation to the mind, and affirm delight in architecture
Words by Dr Milton Cameron
ACCOLADES
• AIA, ACT Awards - Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture, 2011
• AIA, ACT Awards - the Named Award for Residential Architecture – Houses, 2011
PRODUCTS
ROOFING
BLUESCOPE LYSAGHT, KLIP-LOK 406 ROOFING IN COLORBOND ‘WINDSPRAY’
BLUESCOPE LYSAGHT, HALF ROUND GUTTERS IN COLORBOND ‘WINDSPRAY’
EXTERNAL WALLS
BLUESCOPE LYSAGHT, CUSTOM ORB SHEETING IN 700MM SQUARE PANELS IN COLORBOND ‘MONUMENT’, ‘WINDSPRAY’, ‘SHALE GREY’, AND ‘MANOR RED’
CEMINTEL™, TEXTURE BASE SHEETING WITH PAINT FINISH IN DULUX ‘PIPE CLAY H’ AND DULUX
‘MONUMENT’
INTERNAL WALLS
CSR BUILDING PRODUCTS, PLASTERBOARD IN DULUX, ‘PIPE CLAY’
CEILING
HOOP PINE PLYWOOD PANELS WITH CLEAR POLYURETHANE FINISH
CSR BUILDING PRODUCTS, PLASTERBOARD IN DULUX, ‘VIVID WHITE’
WINDOWS
ALL POINTS GLASS, THERMALLY IMPROVED DOUBLE GLAZED ALUMINIUM IN POWDERCOAT ‘WINDSPRAY’
DOORS
GAINSBOROUGH HARDWARE INDUSTRIES, ARCHITECTURAL SERIES ‘HORIZON’
CENTOR, A6 OPEN RAIL SLIDING TRACKS
RAVEN PRODUCTS, DOOR SEALS
FLOORING
POLISHED CONCRETE SLAB
HOOP PINE PLYWOOD SHEETS WITH POLYCURE DURAPOL 5840 MOISTURE CURE FLOOR
COATING SYSTEM
BLUESTONE BASALT HONED
NORTHERN BOX WITH FEAST WATSON DECKING OIL EXTERIOR
LIGHTING
DAVID TRUBRIDGE CORAL PENDANT FITTING
LIME LIGHT UP/DOWN WALL MOUNT FITTINGS
LINEA LITE B132-55 PROFILE UP/DOWN PENDANT
LIGMAN SURFACE MOUNTED HUBLOT
