The Sydney suburb of Haberfield was laid out to the principles of garden suburb design early in the twentieth century and is recognized as one of Australia’s best repositories of Federation era houses. In the postwar period many of the houses were transformed before the suburb was declared a Conservation Zone. Very few houses have escaped the ubiquitous back yard extension that compromises the original Federation era design. With this project, the existing house had similarly suffered a series of poor quality alterations.The new works are concentrated at the rear of the house, where a dark glazed brick clad living cube creates a grand room with generous openings to the garden. The cube creates a secondary, contemporary form that is clearly distinct from the front of the house. A timber batten clad outdoor room provides a protected space for open-air dining. The space between the outdoor room, the living cube and a detached masonry garage is stitched together with a timber deck set level with the internal spaces.
Client: Private
Completed: 2010