Green Renovation, Canberra

This Canberra house wasn’t the typical ‘govvie’ style; it was designed by an architect in the 1970’s. Over time, the beautiful and practical features of the house had been lost. Some of the house’s issues were not the fault of the original design. The way we live has changed fundamentally. With very separate living spaces, it was difficult to supervise kids playing in the rumpus room (except from directly within the small kitchen). The formal lounge room was inaccessible, except through a narrow hallway. This house had positive features too, though. A testament to its architectural history. Beautiful light streamed into the house in winter through northern windows (though most of these windows were shaded by an 80’s pergola which also trapped the heat in summer). Our clients wanted to retain the history of the house but open it up and remove some of the wasteful circulation space to create more room to live. They didn’t want a larger house, but a more practical, greener home that suited their lifestyle. As such, we re-connected their living spaces, enlarged the kitchen by removing its surrounding corridors and maximised the useability of the house without the need for an extension.