The Sussex Street House is located in the inner-city suburb of Lake Wendouree. The broad context encompasses a diverse mix of small/ large sized residential properties from the 19th century to contemporary. The house is tucked away on a quiet tree lined street with the city centre and Lake Wendouree precinct at arm’s reach.

The existing house was built approximately late 19th century and was listed under a local council heritage overlay. The house had been altered over its journey and hadn’t been maintained for quite some time leaving the house in rundown condition. The front façade still possessed a lot of its original charm which the local council encouraged to maintain and restore. The local council also suggested that and new proposal should have very little visibility from the street keeping the streetscape intact.

The client brief included the need to retain the front façade and front rooms of the house with the rest of the project up for grabs but needing to meet the growing family requirements. Therefore the front existing area of the house was zoned as the bedroom/ kids area with the new north lit living areas to the rear, a two storey master bedroom quarters above and a double garage with lane access to the rear.

The new form of the living and master bedroom quarters reference the existing area fabric with an extruded gable in darker metal cladding in contrast to the lighter existing 19th century front. The new proposal is barely visible from the street keeping the street intact but also giving a small clue that there is something new at the rear of the property. The extruded gable has all north facing double height glass bringing in lots of sunshine to the new living zone and master bedroom quarters.

Textures have been hand picked to reference the local area including dark metal claddings, brick and timbers.

The result is a reinvented family home that celebrates its journey from its 19th century past to the contemporary intervention of the new rear living zone engaging the local context.

Location: Lake Wendouree
Year: 2018
Size: 200m2

Photos by Alex Reinders
Built by Owner