Victoria Rd House
Hawthorn
Medal 2012 Architeam Awards
Best Design 2012 Architeam Awards Residental Alterations and Additions
Commendation 2013 Victorian Architecture Awards AIA Houses Alterations and Additions
Winner 2012 Viridian Vision Awards Residential Creative use of Glass
The crescent-shaped addition to this home on Victoria Road is an unexpected rear extension to a charming but formal Victorian villa in one of Melbourne's most conservative suburbs. Instead of the box on the back, this extension is the remnant of a circular cut-out made into the rear north-facing backyard.
Housing a fluid arrangement for living, dining and kitchen areas, the new space is as much about experiencing the private garden and pool beyond as it is about being within the space.
The new addition is a contrast and foil to the structured cellular formality of the original dwelling, providing a new freedom in the social hub of the house. Passive energy design, solar pool heating, roof water collection, and fully automated external blinds to double-glazed windows provide an energy-efficient solution and sustainable design.
The project is layered with an eclectic mix of references and personal meanings for the clients, making the home highly personalised. However, the references are familiar enough to have universal appeal.
Photography: Emma Cross
Client Testimony '…every form, shape, line and space has been carefully designed by Fiona to capture who we are as a family. I see our histories, our travels, ourselves in the walls and windows, ceilings and floors. And all this beauty around me, our home, functions perfectly for how we live. Fiona thought of everything.' Owner of Victoria Road House