The addition to an existing pre-1946 residence is located on a small lot in a tree-lined character residential street in New Farm. The brief from our client was to create a home that maintained a cohesive combination of spaces flowing from the existing residence into the new additions, all on a relatively modest budget. Our design philosophy was to enhance the beauty of the existing house and its period features, without making major structural and spatial connections to and from the existing building fabric.

A pivotal point for these connections occurs via a transitional void space, which provides a spatial and physical link between old and new. Budget considerations ensured modest spaces and considered connections to the external spaces, both within the site and to the broader neighbourhood. These connections both inside and outside served to form a heightened sense of space without the need for a larger floor area.

Photography: Damien Bredberg