Victoria
Sargood House is an exemplar of adaptive re-use of commercial buildings giving residential vitality to the city. Shelley Roberts Architects third apartment in this 1926 warehouse, Sargood Edge exhibits a deep understanding of its heritage shell, alongside functional ingenuity and precision to resolve a demanding brief.
The design responds to the common limitations of inner-city apartment living, i.e. achieving climatically effective outdoor space, and adequate storage. A primary move is through the contextually rigorous ‘excavation’ of the facade for a Wintergarden, which becomes a conduit for light, air and greenery. Secondly, Sargood Edge operates as an unusual home-workplace, accommodating the client’s etiquette consultancy and expansive collection of travel souvenirs and personal effects through the architectonic integration of substantial joinery and storage.
Never compromising the original sense of space and robust structure, the project achieves a rejuvenated climatic ambience and seamless incorporation of contemporary services, right down to a dramatic bathroom-steamroom.
Returning home to Australia after living overseas in several locations gave us the opportunity to consolidate our possessions in the one home. Our return coincided with Covid 19 lockdowns, which reinforced how inadequate access was to outside space and fresh air, so this, together with the need for storage (clothes) and space to store an extensive China collection formed the brief.
Usman Javad, Documentation
Victoria Ashwell, FF & E Scheduling
Acoustic Logic, Acoustic Consultant
Adams Engineers, Structural Engineer
C & M Building Surveyors, Building Surveyor
Harlock Consulting, Cost Consultant
M.A.MGMT. Connected Mechanical Services, Services Consultant
Spectrum Building Energy, ESD Consultant
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.
