Mondthal | COX Architecture

Something that already stands has inherent atmospheric value, having presided over the passage of time and the lives of those who have used a building, regardless of its scale. Mondthal is a house for a family of three in Red Hill, Victoria. It is a contemplation of landscape, family life and the value of enduring building fabric. Preserving the loved parts of the existing mudbrick farmhouse – a wood-fired oven and 27 messmate posts, the architecture intricately grafts on new space, providing improvements in spatial quality more often than increased floor area. The result is a treasuring of the original fabric, whose relevance is re-stated by the impact of the new, while elevating the presence of the additions. Mondthal is a house for a chef, a house for an architect and a house that is an active participant in the dialogue of its family’s life.