Studies in context, materiality and plan, reflective of human behaviour.

East Melbourne Terrace

Location:Wurundjeri (East Melbourne)
Category:Residential
Year:2016
Team:Jerry Wolveridge, Jessica Corbett, Will Smart
Photography:Derek Swalwell

The East Melbourne Terrace presented us with a series of challenges, primarily, how to take a stunning Victorian home and create synergy between the original structure and the range of tack on structures, both internally and externally, that had found their way onto and into the renovation over the last 10 years.The client brief was for a contemporary face lift of all space, whilst respecting the Victorian heritage where necessary. Externally we were to consolidate the aesthetic and deal with a major issue of unprotected west facing glazing to the main living areas. Internally, the floor plan required reconfiguring to include the necessary spaces as well as significant cosmetic works to create a common theme throughout. The site also had two frontages - the primary frontage being the Victorian facade, however the rear street elevation, dominated by garaging, lacked any cohesion. After spending time on site and trying to achieve solutions that the original home to the older extensions we felt was going to be difficult without major demolition, so an alternate solution was derived - cover it all with a screen. This approach doubled as a tool to achieve solar control to the west.