By Michael Ong Design Office
The project is driven by the clients vision to restore and preserve a beautiful doubly storey weatherboard bungalow in Williamstown
Modern interventions throughout is designed to be recessive to the original. Towards to rear, a sensitive and compact extension is added, with a glazed link acts as a formal break and allows original exterior cladding to be restored and preserved internally.
It was clear the client had a strong connection with the orignal house, although in need of repair, the quality and character of the original house brought them a lot of meaning and joy.
Within the existing we carefully restored the house, bringing back the life of the orignal home, through this process, we were able to introduce small changes which were designed to be gentle, neutral and recessive.
The new living addition to the rear provides a connection the the garden, while a clear glazed link is used to formalise the transition between the two architectural languages, by restoring and continuing the existing external cladding through, we are able respect the existing by anchoring the new interior with the existing.
An outdoor BBQ area is position along the southern boundary, a cantilever canopy over the bbq area is connected back to the new addition to form an entry 'gateway' and visually connecting the street back into the rear garden.
Photographer: ben hosking
Michael Ong graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2009 with a Masters of Architecture.
Michael Ong has won the Intergrain Timber Vision Award for Peppercorn House (residential category), has been named in Italian Architectural Journal CASABELLA as one of its international architects under 30, The Guardian listed Michael as one of the upcoming architects and is the SOYA Award winner for the Architecture and Interior Category.
Michael’s work has been published both nationally and internationally. Most notably, his conceptual silo regeneration work in MARK magazine, Dwell Asia ( where he was selected as one of the seven experts to discuss the future of design), Monument and HOUSES magazine to name a few.
Michael Ong Design Office is an award winning architecture studio based in Melbourne, Australia.
Our design process is driven by a strong focus on quality and the benefits of good design. A process which is grounded by thoughtful design ideas and rigorous analysis of site, context and brief.
Our buildings create spaces to form intimate and highly responsive connections between its landscape, building and inhabitants. We are excited by the simplicity and beauty of everyday spaces and objects, and we explore concepts that turn the ordinary and common into rich, textured and expressive.
At every scale, we greet each project with an open mind and our innate sense of design curiosity to realise buildings that are enriching and inspiring. We always collaborate with our clients brief and budget to realise a thoughtful, unique, complete project.
“Michael’s first home shows a real feeling for space and materials. His silo project and in particular his experimental kitchen is indicative of his need to explore design.” – Brian Zulaikha [former president of Australian Institute of Architects and director of TZG Architects]”