Melville Residence

A contextual extension to a heritage home, with a focus on materiality and light.

Summary

Located in East Fremantle, in an area of highly conservative and detailed Council regulations, this large addition to a heritage cottage is a display of sensitive contextualism, without the need to emulate form.

The client brief called for a timeless, easy to maintain and contextual design for their residence, a multi-generational owned family cottage. Whilst the council favored additions which emulated the form of the existing cottage, we submitted that a more appropriate site response was a form that created abundant natural light, was highly energy efficient, was scale appropriate for the street, and utilized a materials palette which was undeniably ‘Fremantle.’

The result is a longer, narrow addition, extended to the rear boundary, re-orientating the residence, and the backyard, to the north. A skeleton of massive rammed earth ‘blade’ walls create the spine of the structure, adding massive amounts of thermal mass. Surrounding this spine is a series of highly efficient lightweight walls, creating a layered form, with elevated ceilings.

In addition to the rammed earth, a materials palette of grooved cement sheeting, exposed concrete and timber, are all positioned so as to ground the mass of the design and create a palette which references the old. The kitchen island counter and light, for example, were custom made using the structural timbers of the old shed on site, reusing hard woods a century old.

The property is surrounded by native gardens, all expertly specified by Dr Alison O’Donnell, which will evolve and grow, like the home, with the occupants.