Victoria
Smith House is a project that celebrates, rather than reinvents an underappreciated era of housing; the ubiquitous, brown brick, tiled roof, free standing suburban home.
Tucking in beneath the western eaves and dropping below the existing floor level, a modest 8m2 extension transforms the home. The design reorients the interior to its garden, bringing sunshine inside and opening up what was a highly segmented floor plan. Quality, not quantity of space is the priority.
Small interventions celebrate the home’s character and offer an alternative to the usual; paint, render or demolish. Tesselated tiles, amber glazing and diagonal timber cladding peek out from the front arches while recycled and reclaimed brown brick is celebrated in the extension, laid in stack bond to delineate itself from its predecessor.
The project demonstrates how working within an existing envelope and embracing character results in a delightful way of living without rebuilding.
Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
In an era obsessed with new, oversized housing and market-driven renovations to secure investment returns, Smith House boldly inverts the discussion to one of quality and character resulting in a delightfully revitalised family home.
This 70s brown brick is a celebration of our built cultural heritage from post-war southern European migrants that Fowler and Ward have creatively reimagined. Careful edits have unlocked and restructured the segmented living spaces while providing modern comforts and volumes with only an additional 8sqm added to the footprint – showing an astute sense of spatial economy. While these considered additions and insertions are in dialogue with the detail and charm of the existing home, materially Fowler and Ward stay on theme celebrating timber panelling, laminate, brick, amber glass and tessellated tiles. Skylights and new openings create a soft and consistent wash of light across the new entry and living spaces to provide relief and connection to the backyard – a decidedly fresh and light feel.
Smith House is a confident and charming template for future suburban renovations by doing more with less through adaptive reuse, and a case for maintaining our cultural heritage that instils a sense of belonging and pride for each new generation.
Jessie Fowler, Design Architect
Mikaela Prentice, Graduate of Architecture
Tara Ward, Architect
Energylab, ESD Consultant
Grimbos Building Surveyors, Building Surveyor
Maurice Farrugia & Associates, Civil Consultant
Maurice Farrugia & Associates, Structural Engineer
Miniscape Projects, Landscape 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.
