OLA architecture studio extends garth house for family of five in melbourne

OLA architecture studio extends garth house for family of five in melbourne

once a dilapidated victorian dwelling dating back to the ninetheeth century, OLA architecture studio has completed the restoration with the addition of an elegant and restrained timber extension in melbourne to accommodate the daily lives of a young family of five and two dogs.

all images © derek swalwell

devoid of unnecessary detail, both the addition and the existing building share a similar scale of footprint and mass; sitting side-by-side embodying ‘a calm air of confidence and presence within their landscape.’ the original house is visualized as one solid form with all the rooms organized within a single volume, and on a high level when OLA studio considered the approach on how to add to what was already there, a conscious decision was made to approach the design with architectural contrasts and similarities.

the kitchen is organized to the rear and faces the garden landscape

on the other hand, the new build adopts the rectilinear forms of the old, but varies their sequence and size to create a series of intimate internal and external spaces. externally the new addition is wrapped in a black timber envelope. this reads as a reserved collection of rigid forms stacked on top of, or next to one another, while the internal circulation functions as a seamless transition from one defined space to the next.

the timber slats from the façade hang halfway down over the windows

the home serves a family of five and their two dogs

the sculptural steel staircase provides circulation to the programs upstairs

the room upstairs is highlighted with a house shaped opening

located in northcote, garth was once a dilapidated nineteenth century italianate victorian masonry dwelling

garth house, melbourne, OLA architecture studio

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