Lewisham Rd, Prahran

Located on a small inner-city block and one half of a pair of pre-war semi-detached houses, the project called for a sympathetic yet hardworking addition to the retained front room of the original house. Clad in terracotta shingles, the new volume draws inspiration from the prominent existing roof and responds sensitively to the adjacent house and broader streetscape. The notion of a traditional terracotta roof is questioned with the existing roof wrapping up to sheathe the new form’s walls with tiles. The terracotta walls are punctured by black steel framed openings allowing views to the parkland beyond and intimate framed views to the garden. A delicate steel fin demarcates the threshold between old and new, while the tiles have been mitred at the volume’s corners to create crisp, articulated edges.