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OR VIEW ALL PROJECTSOR GO BACK TO SEARCH RESULTSOR VIEW ALLPROJECTS BY ARCHITECT DONOVAN HILLRESIDENTIAL PROJECTS2001 PROJECTSPROJECTS IN BRISBANEPROJECTS PHOTOGRAPHED BY JON LINKINS |
Michael Hogg of Donovan Hill architects -
"In the case of an existing house, it would always be the firm's approach to leave the existing as a sort of complete piece and do seemingly separate new fragments that are pressed into service to sort out grander aims."
What we have here is much more than flossing the old veranda brackets: the re-jigging of the circulation patterns of the old house re-stages in miniature the particular 'plaid' of major and minor streets (Brunswick and Arthur, James and Heal) in New Farm. The memory of the 'plaid' also proves useful in the extension and garden.
Next comes the pace. The central hallway in the old house; its existing long side verandas and newly formed adjacent long room are all stepping and sidling in the same direction (similar to Donovan Hill's signature design of staggered tiles) marching towards the expected 'big new space'. However, before you know it, the expected has evaporated above you leaving you teetering on a balcony overlooking the actual 'big new space' - the garden - which abruptly presents itself and its bold patterned surface, half a storey below. The warp of the plaid peters out amid ripples and reflections, its job complete.
This garden is a rare find and a total fabrication by the architects. Originally, the ground fell away steeply from the house and the project architect Hogg notes that "the steep backyard seemed tiny because it couldn't be used for much; its corners were below your line of vision and it was impossibly overlooked. Hinging that whole plane up was the first move." Through a combination of careful editing using screens, building-as-screen and minimal enclosure the "garden room" gained its privacy and usefulness. It has become the most important part of the ensemble and like the best rooms, it has windows and views. To achieve this Hogg explains "Timothy [Hill] surveyed the scene, then we set out the information and prepared various strategies for consideration."
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