#HTE

Architecture Architecture’s Park Life House extension, sensitively celebrates the humble suburban Melbourne block, implementing an addition that beautifully adds to, and continues the legacy of one of the best-preserved early housing commissions in Victoria. The curving form of the new intervention seamlessly melts into the original home – the architecture remaining respectful while also reflecting the personality of its occupants.

Architecture Architecture were highly contextual in their design approach, maintaining a generous front courtyard to ensure the Garden City heritage of the area was upheld. The undulating form of the timber-battened wall ushers’ the visitors in with open arms, the front courtyard becoming a gift to be enjoyed not only by the client but by the whole local community.

An artist studio finds its home in this gently curving extension, the round window forming an eye from which its inhabitant experiences the world. The positioning of a gate is at the discretion of those inside, as they are the ones who decide how much of the public streetscape intertwines with the private area of the courtyard.

Related: Dark Horse House Extension by Architecture Architecture.

The home unfolds in a series of beautifully defined vignettes; small moments where individual programs begin to diverge from the bounds of their allotted area. Instead of remaining separated they engage in conversation with their surroundings, an overlap of activity encouraging connection. Each room comes accompanied by views into surrounding spaces and most prominently, the constant presence of the outdoor courtyard. A wall of curved glazing slices through the kitchen while simultaneously allowing the exterior to crawl into all living spaces. The light not only brightens the room but also brings an expansive feeling to the otherwise humble sized living area.

The sequencing of spaces feels highly considered yet effortless. The moment of junction between the old house and the new extension is quiet – a clear line marks the invasion of a shinier, more modern creature nowhere to be found. Instead, white rectilinear walls gently give way to curving rendered brick and concrete. The beautifully restrained palette already existed, now continued under a renewed lens. There is a warmth that radiates from the spaces, ushered in by the earthy quality of timber and porcelain surfaces. A modest gallery becomes a place where occupants of this house, artist, and curator, can share in a tangible display of their love for visual arts.

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