Wrights Terrace, Prahran
Quietly fitting in with an additional floor
Category Infill Development | Project Wrights Terrace, Prahran | Architects EME Design (Luke Middleton), Melbourne
Context
This project rebuilds a family house on a small lot within a typical heritage area of modest Victorian houses. The neighbouring homes are varied in character, but generally small, single storey, weatherboard with metal roofing and simple verandahs.
Challenge
The new home needed to increase the floor area and provide a more sustainable structure, without impacting the low scale, low key nature of the streetscape.
Response
The new house respects the alignment and height of the neighbouring houses at the front, but steps up to a second storey at the rear, cleverly concealed beneath the sloping metal roof. Integrated screening prevents overlooking and the building details refer to the typical cottage model, without obvious replication. The front eaves form a small verandah, using traditional materials. A wall of blockwork behind the weatherboard façade provides thermal mass and a water storage tank is located beneath the courtyard deck.
Lessons
This project illustrates how to improve sustainability and achieve extra floor area and height in such a subtle manner that, from the street, the house passes unnoticed amongst its neighbours.
More information
Fact Sheet - Wrights Terrace, Prahran (PDF - 955 KB)
Fact Sheet - Wrights Terrace, Prahran, accessible version (DOC - 25 KB)
