Project: House 3
Architects: Coy Yiontis Architects
Location: Balaclava VIC 3183, Australia
Photographs by: Peter Clarke
Restore and extend to accommodate modern family living was the task that the Australian firm, Coy Yiontis Architects, received. They were to adapt a heritage home to the modern world and the outcome is pioneering when faced with the challenges of a small block, retaining the charm of a Victorian weatherboard.
Their approach was to divide the house into two discreet buildings, old and new, separated by a large central courtyard and reconnected by a glazed link. The courtyard with its pool, gives the new building its northern aspect and is conceived as an extension of the shared spaces which surround it on three sides.
From the architects: “Situated in a heritage streetscape in Balaclava the project required an approach that restored the street presence of the disfigured Victorian weatherboard and added the spaces required by a contemporary extended family. The strategy was to divide the house into two discreet buildings, old and new, separated by a large central courtyard and reconnected by a glazed link. The courtyard with its pool, gives the new building its northern aspect and is conceived as an extension of the communal spaces of the home which surround it on three sides. The old building is compacted and restored.
The new two storey building, beautifully crafted in timber, is constructed at the rear of the property. The bedrooms are accommodated upstairs. At ground floor an irregular open plan of living space, paved in travertine flows out to the exterior through sliding panels.
This is not a big house. Considered planning and the integration of indoor and outdoor achieve a generosity and variety of communal spaces for the family at odds with the actual size of the building. Private areas are restrained and humble. It is an urban home that functions successfully for a multi-generational family and its evolving needs.”
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