New South Wales
The Maranatha House is a study of layers material layers, liminal layers and site layers peeling back, exposing and renewing a house with many histories.
Tasked with reimagining the heritage listed dwelling as a contemporary, light filled home embracing the clients love of art and accommodating their blended family, the original stone cottage and its additions were examined at a fundamental level. Outlook, light, aspect, material and landscape were all contemplated to spatially unify the dwelling within strict heritage and planning controls.
The design approach leans into framing and layering strategies to address the brief and bring about functional flexibility, aesthetic delight and environmental performance. External and internal views are aligned and articulated, retaining the traditional floor plan proportions and adding minimal footprint.
Generous natural lighting is achieved via glazed, steel framed elements balancing heavy masonry walls, with a new stair void aside the impressive insitute artwork AES.
Maranatha is an extraordinary home to live in. We’re a blended family with a broad age range, necessitating a design that expands and contracts that breathes. More light was imperative, as the original house was quite dark.
The vastly refined plan works so efficiently for us; the streamlined palette complements the environment; and the light brings surprise and delight. Marcus Piper’s artwork AES bathes in daylight, giving an alternative legibility to time, while by night the home appears as a lantern.
Sensitively crafted, Maranatha responds respectfully to its heritage, providing wonderful contemporary living to a family who delight in creativity.
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
