Ashley Halliday Architects: Taking cues from the adjacent 1880’s Villas – form, scale, set-backs, roof profiles – a simple, contemporary palette of complimentary materials and finishes was introduced. House and garden were orchestrated to reflect the owner’s generosity of spirit, modern taste, dynamic family lifestyle and desire to engage with their suburban community.
The two gabled pavilions sit perpendicular to one another, pulled apart and inflected to create interstitial spaces between that provide veiled views in and out whilst creating pockets for the surrounding landscape to infiltrate and break down the mass of the house. The main living pavilion embraces the gabled roof form with a portal steel frame allowing the roof form to continue internally. Tasmanian oak ceiling linings add warmth and scale whilst the textured oak battens give a rhythm to the spaces, enhancing the sense of perspective that is directed to the garden to the south.
What was the brief?
To create a comfortable and contemporary new single-level family home that nurtures and connects.
What were the key challenges?
A key challenge was how to nestle a contemporary new home into a conservative heritage street.
What were the solutions?
Our strategy was to reference the surrounding stone villas by introducing a sympathetically scaled, and proportioned gabled pavilion facing the street. Stripped back to its core elements, the gable respectfully addresses the surrounding context in form, roof profiles, datum heights and setbacks. The street facing pavilion has large operable windows and screens encouraging interaction with the garden and streetscape beyond, reflecting the clients desire to interact with their neighbourhood. This is reinforced with a front fence that uses slim steel frames to provide a subtle distinction between the public and private realms, whilst encouraging that sense of community.
How is the project unique?
Parkside Residence stands out as a brave contemporary-yet-considerate addition to a conservative heritage suburb.
