The affluent Melbourne suburb of Surrey Hills is well known for its leafy streets and well-established quality housing. The owners of this 1938 example moved from a cosmopolitan inner suburb, drawn by the excellent educational options. Typically of the area, their home is solidly constructed with clinker bricks. Untypically, the interior was largely in original condition.
A passing comment by the owners gave the home its name. “When we first met them they were saying that they really want this to be their Forever House and the name just stuck,” says Scott Woodward of WoodWoodWard Architects, known less tongue-twistingly as WOWOWA. “It had to have everything they imagine they will need for the future,” adds Monique Brady-Ward, the Ward of this creative partnership. Jen Wood, currently studying in New York, completes the trio.
The existing house occupies a triangular corner block. Awkwardly, it isn’t aligned with any boundary and is pushed to the back of the sloping site, leaving a large front garden. The challenges were to introduce light into the house, bring the accommodation and internal design up-to-date and appropriate for the ever-evolving needs of a young family, and extend the building’s footprint.
The extension’s dominant walling colour is red, with Nubrik pressed bricks constituting 39 percent of the wall. .“Within clinker bricks you get those nice glassy little dark bits of glaze on the surface,” says Scott Woodward who chose to scatter 30 percent of the wall with bright red fully-glazed bricks, similar to Austral Bricks Burlesque® Luscious Red™. Elements Mercury semi-glazed bricks continue the glazed theme, making up a further 15 percent and Austral Bricks Dynasty, a softly-glazed brick in Karrington Silver, just one percent. The final 15 percent is Elements Graphite semi-glazed clay bricks, mainly used in the base brickwork, around reveals and at corners.