The briefing was for a large extension and renovation of a beautiful grand old lady, our clients’ family home. With their growing teenage children, the family of five desperately needed more space and were looking for about 350 m² of floor area all up.
The family wanted a warm and inviting family home that would flow from old to new, rather than abruptly changing between the two, a home that would respond well to the typical activities as a family and as individuals.

While low maintenance was part of the brief for the outside, we made extensive use of the warm, biophilic notes of a beautiful indigenous timber species (Blackbutt) on the inside, thus creating a comfortable and inviting residence.

The family home lives off the fine-tuned balance between private spaces and communal areas: An abundance of rooms allows for the different activities, that range from violin playing in the piano room, to reading in the library, to having large gatherings for Jewish celebrations and holidays. There is enough space for the children to have friends over and spend time together at the pool, in their rooms, or in the common areas.

While the home is large, it is never pretentious. It’s all about family life, and always remains down to earth, mirroring the beliefs and life approaches of its residents.

The home fits quietly and naturally in its environment. The extension, being almost invisible from the streetscap, doesn’t detract from the re-invigorated heritage character. The front dwelling celebrates heritage, and marries it with a modern extension at the back, without needing to contrast. It does not require “show-off” gestures (that are often part of the contemporary design landscape). Instead, it takes little elements inspired by heritage, like the feel of the grand old dame, her high ceilings, the materials, or decorative details like the ladder rails or staircase shadow lines, re-interpreting and delivering in a modern and elegant way without taking away from the heritage. A lifestyle in keeping with our history, yet bold and in today’s Zeitgeist.

Biophilic aspects can have a massive benefit on us humans, integrated into the design through materials selections, interaction with the outside, vistas to nature like a window seat framing the view to an established Jacaranda tree in the garden, etc. We also designed the graphics for the privacy/overlooking films inspired by both nature and the history of the house.

The space behind the original extension was occupied by an existing pergola, partially covered in beautiful old vines. This outdoor structure had been used for many years for annual religious celebrations, and the vines also presented such beautiful assets, that demolition of the pergola was a no-go. Wrapping the proposed extension around it meant a less ideal orientation: The proposed extension had to partially sit over the existing, without detracting from the streetscape, and with main orientations being south and west-facing. However, through clever use of north-facing highlights and a mix of active and passive shading strategies, we were able to offset this effect, creating a beautiful home in harmony with the garden, that catches the sunrays in winter and avoids the hot summer heat.

We enabled our clients to go off gas, designing an all-electric energy-efficient home, including 9kW solar PV array with associated battery.
Other sustainability elements include:
thickened-up walls to accommodate high insulation levels (total R5 at rear)
Innovative woodfibre insulation facade system (natural, breathable product, great hygothermal properties, CO2 neutral/negative carbon store)
Efficient double glazing, thermally broken frames
Passive shading as design features, plus active shading where required
15,000L underground watertank to free up valuable garden
biophilic aspects
prepared for car charger
Heat pump heating/cooling and hot water
100% wool carpet, no synthetic content, sustainable farming (NZFAP)