2011 Gallery

The mode of this alterations and additions project is that of adaptive reuse. Built in 1890 this former industrial building, which was originally built as a farrier's workshop, has since been used as a workshop, a warehouse and a studio. A series of insertions which satisfy the needs of contemporary living have been carefully stitched into the simple brick shed. Demonstrating the resilience of its heritage fabric, the building is now a house that speaks of a life lived with an eye for detail and a studied restraint. Excised from a suburban block, the freestanding building has a number of attributes that informed the project - a long, northern elevation; a double-height volume; lane access; and views over established gardens. In reimagining the shed as a home the designer has made the most of these qualities. In form, material and arrangement the insertions also take their cues from the original building. A strikingly simple palette that employs materials as both structure and finish is indicative of an inquisitive approach to the making of architecture.