9
You have had to effectively inhabit a previous residence?
What are some of the key design references?
A lot of money went into fixing what was already
there. It was poorly designed and in awful condition
in terms of its construction value. We had to oversee
a partial demolition that involved about 20sqs. of the
original house.
We undertook a grand buildings study tour that
included town halls, banks and GPOs and that
inspired the direction. We had to create those
authentic details throughout including the
balconies and mouldings on the front façade.
The minimalist rooftop addition was designed
so as not to overpower the traditional building
elements and to sit inconspicuously against the
existing, steeply pitched roof. We weighed up
our options and decided to turn it back into an
‘old’ home on the hill which grew from the grand
civic buildings such as GPOs and town halls.
It must have been a formidable assignment to work
on such a dysfunctional original dwelling.
The abandoned residence of solid construction
presented 70 squares of non-functional spaces,
including an un-tiled indoor pool. The facade did not
possess the proportions or characteristics associated
with any distinguishable period or style. Energy
efficiency considerations were poor. It was really
an all-round disaster.
A Grand Revivalist