The original double storey house placed awkwardly on the site, had enjoyed very view improvements since its construction in 1950. The internal configuration consisted of a rabbit-warren of rooms and spaces, mostly dark and unpleasant. The house needed urgent love and care plus a number of changes to accommodate our family needs.

Instruction to the architects included the following;

•Simplifying ground floor spaces into one dining kitchen space.
•Adding two children’s bedrooms
•New visitor’s flat, separate from the main house
•Increased veranda space
•Work from home studio for both partners.
•Restructure the outdoor spaces to be more sheltered and private.

Establishing a sense of place, a sense of arrival and then progression, a sense of hierarchy from shared to private and a sense of order underpin the design. The manner by which the house responds to its various exterior fronts and garden edges was deemed equally important  as the redesign of the interior house spaces. A 10mx10m courtyard space, shaped by high walls, was introduced between house and street. Most of the new additions to the house; the studio, garage, kitchen and dining room face into this courtyard space. The street also is offered a large picture windo into the same courtyard. The street window is also a bench with drinking fountain for the many children that go to the Parkview Junior Primary School opposite the house.

 The existing ground floor plan, with is many tiny rooms, was opened to become two spacious living areas, housing kitchen and library/lounge. A dining space extends the plan to the back garden and allows for a generous veranda.

The upper floors were also simplified, with bedrooms and play spaces more logically arranged. All upper floor spaces have balconies that view the courtyards and garden spaces below.

The architectural expression is hard and austere, with only balconies and timber shutters enjoying more attention and softer treatment. Windows and doors are highlighted by concrete overhangs, becoming the only elements that break the simple box architecture. The client’s intention to overgrow the courtyards and house with creepers, explains the stipple plaster finish to all exterior walls.