CIRCA 1850
This alteration to an existing single-storey terrace employed a series of simple, non-traditional spatial moves that simultaneously respected the dwelling’s strong presence on the site while maximising light, ventilation and function. Once the layers of occupation were removed, the stone shell was supported with a timber prosthesis that acts as an organizing element, allowing the house to “pivot” through a central library. In response to the site’s tight site constraints, traditional passageways were loaded up with additional functions, becoming studies, laundries and libraries. An outdoor terrace was introduced on the first floor, occupying the space that otherwise would have been a heritage-enforced void. Glass and layered forms of enclosure extend the space both physically and through reflection. The dwelling is at once private and unconstrained by its boundaries. The external face of the house is a composition of raw stone, rendered stone and metal planes – an abstract mirror of the planar grammar and materiality of the laneway it addresses.
