Calling this project completed by March Studio an extension is probably not the best name, and you will understand why very fast. Situated in Melbourne, Australia, the original building is a heritage one and therefore the exterior had to be kept intact, and renovated to the initial look, with wooden Edwardian facades and red tile roof. The new addition is the same in size as the original house, but completely different in shape and style. It is like somebody who wants to keep a serious appearance, but is actually hiding a true fun nature behind this facade. Located at the back of the existing house, the extension is a completely unexpected shape that brakes with the traditional architecture of the neighborhood in a statement of originality. The twisted shape of the black zinc roof opens and closes the views depending on its orientation and the impact on the neighboring houses.Under this roof, the concrete, glass and wood structure is laid out in order to contain the day areas, the garage and the children’s playroom. The night part, with bedrooms and bathrooms, are concentrated in the existing renovated structure. The semi-buried box that contains the playroom and utility areas has circular overhead skylights, apparent in the floor of the living room above. Inside the new addition there are different levels connected by podiums or stairs that give a lot of dynamism to the space.
This picture gives a nice perspective of the various semi-levels of the house and of the openings created by the twisting roof. The kitchen island has a minimalistic geometry and looks a massive block of concrete. The orange front panel breaks this massiveness and brings some color between the concrete floor and the kitchen block.
A flight of steel cantilevering stairs lead up a wooden podium level where we find the dining table and the sitting area.
The dining and sitting spaces look cozy between two layers of wood on floor and ceiling and windows on the sides.
