Image Credit : Victor Vieaux Photography
Project Overview
Elm Seed House is a modern adaptation of a century-old Californian Bungalow, Melbourne. Respectful of the home’s heritage, the project retains, reinstates and celebrates period elements, thoroughly modernising the interior whilst creating a warm, inviting and functional rear extension for a growing professional family.
Spatial arrangement, materials and flow respond to the architectural dichotomy of public vs private, revealing a minimal monolithic form externally yet a rich and warm interior within. The heart of the home, the fernery separates the spaces, providing a tranquil haven, blurring the lines of indoor and out and creating a cohesive transition between old and new.
Internally, habitable rooms have been functionally and aesthetically updated yet retaining original elements and improving thermal systems whilst minimising structural changes. The extension uses concrete panels to the streetscape, natural and charred timbers to the private areas, set against the backdrop of dense green pine trees to the boundary. Stained vic ash windows and doors, hardwood floors, polished concrete and dark toned kitchen and cabinetry provide a warm yet sophisticated palette that speaks to the home's heritage. Hand-patina steel panels, handles and accents give a nod to the craftsmanship of the build.
Named after the millions of elm seeds found in the roof space, the project is humble, cost-effective, sits respectfully in its urban context yet is rich in detail, care and respect for the original home.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Team Architektura
Project Brief
Rather than a fixed brief other than a broad ‘family home’ need, our clients sought to understand the potential of the site whilst being open minded to the outcome. The home was tired, dilapidated in many areas with structural issues and all manner of poorly executed additions over time. Yet the bones were good, its character clear and if the walls could speak, what history could this home tell. The decision was thus made early to retain as much as possible, to adapt, not destroy, to modernise and make good then extend to the rear for the communal space.
Flexibility and entertaining played key considerations in the overall final spatial interfaces, as did the desire for unprogrammed hard and soft landscape areas, where deck becomes seating becomes theatre becomes shaded dining zone; intentionally informal and versatile. A balance between green space / built form, setbacks, heights and site yield of the extension were controlled rather than ‘maximised’, providing plenty of informal grassed space for children's play and avoiding lengthy planning processes. Going further, site contours were embraced, resulting in a number of steps, giving rise to opportunities for seating, dwell and informal gathering both internally and externally.
The client's love for nature drove key design directions around interior and exterior landscape elements; the home surprises and delights in this regard, feeling far apart from its suburban setting.
Project Innovation/Need
Interestingly, the project very much intentionally avoids ‘innovation’ in its most literal sense, opting to return to more traditional materials and techniques. In lieu, for example, structure, whereby rather than the usual concrete slab with its high embodied carbon, high cost and high site impact, the project elected for a simple timber subfloor on piers, the same system used by the original 100+ yr old dwelling. Likewise construction methods intentionally focused on tried, tested, common and traditional; timber carpentry, metal roofing, timber cladding, plaster lining and timber floors, albeit with elevated spatial consideration, detailing, expression and approaches throughout. No specialist trades were required, resulting in a unique outcome whereby most trades lived within a few kilometres of the project - many pass by the project regularly and have stayed in touch with the clients, builder and design team since. Materials likewise were primarily locally sourced and Australian made, avoiding imports and cost prohibitive systems or materials, an outcome benefiting budget and sustainable objectives. The approach speaks honestly and genuinely to the original home, rather than introducing an intervention out of touch with the immediate area, something we were very passionate about.
Detailed design worked to primarily standard material dimensions, avoiding undue wastage and further simplifying and accelerating the building works. The outcome is a materially more cost effective budget outcome compared to comparable projects, a critical requirement in the high inflationary building industry at time of the projects delivery programme.
Design Challenge
From the outset, maximising the outcome whilst controlling a finite budget was a key consideration. We saw this very much as an opportunity as much as a challenge, and the outcome has demonstrated that with thought, custom architectural projects, sometimes perceived as too costly, can indeed be accessible.
Working with an existing period home always has challenges, in this case subsidence, water damage and poorly executed additions over many years, all of which were addressed and repaired. Lacklustre light to the original home drove decisions to increase window sizes during replacement of the 70s anodised windows, whilst poor thermal qualities were materially improved.
Site constraints of topography and slope were embraced. The home steps down the incline, providing opportunity for in-built planters, areas of dwell and a sunken lounge. The internal heights are generous as a result.
Initially seen as a major obstacle, dense pines in the neighbouring yard were designed around. The area underneath in summer is cool, shaded and serves as a secondary living/dining space outside the extension footprint; a peaceful and flexible space very much unexpected in the suburban site setting.
Sustainability
The existing home was approached with minimal structural changes or intervention. Whilst spaces were modernised, the scope primarily focused on make good and reinstatement of original elements. Leadlight windows were salvaged from a condemned local home, painstakingly repaired and proudly reinstalled. Cladding, fixtures and trims were likewise rescued and reused, to name a few.
Thermal comfort and low energy usage drove many decisions. In summer, the home operates ‘open’, with southerly winds and operable roof panels providing more than adequate cross ventilation and cooling. Orientation, southerly setback, shading and insulation far in excess of minimum standards supports this, with minimal heating needed during winter. The result is a home with very low operational needs.
The structure is a pier and subfloor arrangement over a high embodied energy concrete slab and materials were selected for durability as much as aesthetic concerns - charred cladding and concrete panels requiring no ongoing maintenance. Minimising waste of materials became a fixation, with many spatial considerations derived in part through use of standard materials sizes, ensuring minimal waste.
The concept of Urban Nature and biophilic design was embraced. Native planting is loved by local birds. The fernery, located at the confluence of old and new, is viewable from most spaces and all windows facing are operable, reinforcing the connection and bleeding through to integrated planters. Combined with the pines above, even in a suburban context, the home is quiet, serene and feels surrounded by nature.
Architecture - Residential - Constructed
This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow.
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