Known for their sculptural style and eclectic splashes of colour, WOWOWA draws on the humble brick to revive and reduce the footprint of an enviable Art Deco cream brick home.

• ARCHITECT WOWOWA
• PHOTOGRAPHY Martina Gemmola
• PRODUCTS Bowral Bricks in Gertrudis Brown, Bowral Brown and Hereford Bronze

WOWOWA’s Ponds presents a unique double fronted cream and brown brick Art Deco facade to the street. The home, which was converted into two separate residences in the 2000s, has been artfully consolidated back into one by the architects.

An extensive host of sustainability measures were incorporated into the design. Decreasing the overall footprint of the home by reducing its size from a double story to a single story was perhaps the most significant of these interventions.

The original house was a ‘rabbit warren of corridors’ and its bones ‘a serious hodge podge of DIY splicing, according to WOWOWA director Monique Woodward.

‘The project saw a large portion of the existing building fabric retained, with considered and clever interventions to join together and simplify the layout, and introduce new courtyard spaces and better access to the external spaces,’ says Woodward.

Materiality and design choices echo the desire for sustainability and a smaller footprint; Weathertex cladding in the courtyard is made from woodchips and natural wax, glazing is double glazed and framed with timber, three water tanks capture runoff and internal paints are low VOC. ‘Generally the material palette was kept simple and minimal, reducing excess waste,’ says Woodward.

Although the footprint of the home was ultimately decreased, a main new volume was added to the back of the home featuring intricately faceted and scalloped brickwork which draws on the building’s Art Deco heritage.

The new brickwork was formed with dry pressed Bowral Bricks, in a gradient that morphs from lighter pale bricks at the top, to darker bricks grounding the base. Inset into the brickwork are timber-framed windows that swing open to the courtyard.

‘Early discussions with the bricklayer, to finesse the details of the facets and scallops, and ongoing workshops on site, were key to seeing the incredible brick gradient achieved, and the finer details, from brick soffits to the bevelled profile of the brick steps onto the deck, and the delightful rework of the existing fence to pick up the zig-zag features, and gradient brickwork,’ says Woodward.

The individually moulded Bowral Bricks carry a unique granular patina and tone which merges with the original Art Deco street-facing facade, adding to the home’s timeless yet distinctive exterior.

‘The key to this project was an incredible working relationship with the builder Neverstop, and the trust and skill of our bricklayer Llyod Walmsley of RPM Brix, who previously designed our Tiger Prawn project.’ Tiger Prawn featured a similar scalloped extension to a Fitzroy terrace. The two story volume at the rear of the house employed silvery-brown Bowral Bricks to create a castle-like extension.

“The project saw a large portion of the existing building fabric retained, with considered and clever interventions to join together and simplify the layout, and introduce new courtyard spaces and better access to the external spaces”