Short Street

Architect: e+ architecture, 2013

Building Description

The brief for the Short Street residence was to increase the living areas of the existing house and rationalise the rear lean-to extension. With the heritage overlay, it was also important to ensure we created a contemporary extension that was non-dominant in the streetscape, whilst still being clear that it was of 2013 in its design and build. Retaining the lean-to wall and chimney facing Short Street, allowed the streetscape to remain in tact from a pedestrian level and for the extension to be setback and tucked in behind. This also helped to disguise the two-storey bulk of the new works.

Being in a heritage area it was very clear from the start that the addition would be contemporary in nature but could play with ‘traditional’ materials such as zinc and hardwoods, with crafted elements such as the windows, doors and joinery to ‘tip its hat’to the past era features, now restored to former condition. These simple and clear concepts were carried through the entire design to ensure a consistent approach to the design was adopted–clearly present in the final result. The joiner for example built the windows, doors and joinery from the same blackbutt timber, and this was also used for the floors. You can read the same hand of the craftsmen throughout the project. These simple yet long-lasting materials are of such quality that they are effectively ‘set and forget’.