U House - A Well-Connected Courtyard Home Balances Family Life

The C.Kairouz Architects design brings to life the existing Edwardian cottage which was dark & constrained, by retaining heritage details and injecting it with space, light, connectivity, and a modern edge.

Strong emphasis revolved around updating the home to be an entertainer’s delight and enhance connections, with this in mind a ‘U’ shaped addition with a central courtyard was devised and became the missing link that brought the whole design together & strengthened family ties. This dynamic rear extension brings into balance living requirements, enhancing light, function, and interaction between spaces & their inhabitants.

What was the Brief?

The young family came to us after slowly outgrowing their underperforming old home. They loved the vibrant suburb of Thornbury and their character filled street, so moving wasn’t really an option. An entry problem, lack of light, function, and space of the original house, dictated the brief. With busy lives professionally and socially, the clients required a forever home that could help & enhance everyday living, working & entertaining, whilst withstanding the test of time.

What Were the Key Challenges?

An unrecognizable original entryway of the existing home was also a test. By improving the passageway into the home, it would help to set a standard upon entry and improve the entire home experience from the beginning.

After living in a home with mediocre light quality & connection to the outdoors the clients requested a ‘Light filled House’. Much thought went into creating a plan that would optimize natural daylight at all times of the day.

The brief involved a full program of requirements, especially once the existing home was to be retained, leaving limited leftover space available to play with. This meant devising a clever floorplan that would respond to the full program of client’s needs & wants, while carefully arranging spaces and navigating the restraints.

The orientation also proved problematic, while the front of the property faces north, the rear had to contend with the south. To capitalize on light in the living areas of the home at the back and avoid a south facing rear, a courtyard extension was developed which would add the improved functionality while incorporating the best natural light possible with views to the outside.

Materiality

Clad in low maintenance black metal & rendered brick, the new structure marries with the weatherboards, creating a distinction between styles while remaining complementary. All white restoration highlights existing home, heralding the charm & detail in traditional elements. Internally, materials are modest & light, with black & white contrasting features reflecting exterior & emphasize the feeling of space & height. Textural natural finishes add warmth & sensory elements to further enhance connectivity to nature & the home itself.

What Were the Solutions?

Context

By repurposing the old home & retaining a piece of local history, meant the client could save on construction. It also represented a design that was sensitive to the streetscape, had less impact on the environment and respected the local community, while still adapting the dwelling to be fit for modern life.

Good bones of existing home were perfect for reuse & retaining heritage charm. A careful approach was taken to preserve as much as possible, keeping exterior as is with just fresh coat of paint, skylights & adjustments to internal layout within original footprint.

The old homes position at the front of the property meant the best use for this dwelling would be as a private ‘hub’. Where the smaller, subdued, character-filled spaces could perform for relaxation & private use. A 3 bed, 2 bath plan was created from the original, each room refreshed, increasing in area & storage solutions - including access to the roof cavity.

By going out and not up the rear extension was designed to be structurally independent from the old, to reduce on construction time and provide easily accessible single level living. It included pitched nods to period home at the front, replicating angles at entry and wings at rear. These considered forms were essential to echoing the original home design & enhancing light quality, providing space for high windows which provide sunlight, openings to control temperature circulation by catching breezes & removing hot air.

Function

To prevent long corridors, wasted circulation space and to encourage strong engagement between the street and the new addition, the original entry was pushed back & opened up to face the street on the right, where old meets new. Here the journey was enhanced with a contrasting pergola structure and pathway guiding the user gently to the door where they land in a dedicated foyer zone/rumpus room divided by architectural fins. With significant setbacks for privacy, a clear glazed doorway was selected for an inviting feel & the northern sun to permeate further through the home.

To avoid a south-facing living space a courtyard formation was adopted. Public areas were positioned in the back via the new addition. A ‘U’ shape was created to open the back up to northern light and use biophilic principles where possible. Access to, or visibility of natural elements such as fire, water, plants, sun, and air, were all engaged in each room. Orientated sidewards with plenty of double glazing, including 2 big clerestory windows, spaces harness northern, southern & western light movement & airflow throughout the day.

The layout of the extension is a series of spaces that are knitted together, spilling into one another whilst remaining independent. This entertaining zone acts as a cog in the wheel, mediating 5 interconnected spaces, all revolving around a green courtyard, providing indoor-outdoor living & views. A central pool ties it all together, providing opportunities for reflection, cooling & mood-enhancing qualities.

Lifestyle & function at the core, thoughtful emphasis was on how we live & entertain with connectivity being paramount - peoples engagement to one another, our spaces & the environment. The extension solution heralds open & strong visual & physical relationships with it’s transparency & shape. Wrapping around the garden & pool, fitted with entirely with floor-to-ceiling glazed doors & windows, meant the home has drastically improved opportunities for natural ventilation and can adapt to fluxes in weather or purpose. While the restored, private section of the home celebrates separation, intimacy, and seclusion.

Other internal features such as the generous office which peers across the courtyard and into the living, the integrated bar in the joinery within the dining room, the hidden pantry, and the concrete credenza in the living room (including fireplace) which flows continuously into the BBQ and outdoor deck. These are further reminders of the attention to connectivity, entertaining, and function in the home.

Relationships

A strong focus on integrated process, with constant dialogue between architect, builder & client helped to meet the brief. It was all about functional spaces, clever collaborative ideas & quality essentials that would make a more efficient & adaptable long-term home.

An open dialogue with the neighbors at the rear, was instrumental to achieving a great result. It created an opportunity for design negotiations to occur and therefore push the envelope on what could be achieved on the back boundary. With both parties agreeing on a solution that respected each property.

How is the Project Unique?

The design approach of responsible reuse pared with flexible, united spaces connected to nature, which can be configured in various ways are the standout elements that make this project unique.

Purposely using a heritage method for the house, which respected neighborhood character and fits perfectly in the streetscape. The existing home was highlighted as the focal point from the street and the extension mirrors pitched rooflines while remaining discreet and blending into the background. At the rear is where the addition becomes the hero, showcasing its personality and functionality as it opens to the yard and light.

By upcycling the existing house, it significantly reduced the embodied energy of the project. It was also more responsible with less waste and the sequestered carbon in the original home was not released into the atmosphere.

The central courtyard connects all active rooms seamlessly to outdoors. Providing visibility between spaces, including transparency through garden into various rooms. There is improved accessibility, with easy walkways throughout. Increased space with the doubled floor area, ample ventilation & light quality thanks to myriad of well-placed windows & glazed doors.

Well-connected thoroughfares running throughout the home link private space to public, and old with new, providing sensible flow. The study and foyer intersection acts as a mediation point, controlling sound & temperature. As these passageways navigate to rear of the home, the rooms increase in their openness, activity, & accessibility.

Zoned areas & breakout spaces flow successively. With distinct divisions between styles & purpose, the offerings are knitted together with a mix of private rooms for downtime and entertaining hubs for socializing. Dedicated office proved invaluable for working in 2020. The home in it’s entirety was put to the ultimate test during COVID-19 lockdowns, with the clients experiencing all spaces perform under intense living conditions, flourishing in their new light filled home.

What are the Sustainability Features?

Designed to enhance quality of life & function, this home provides inhabitants with the essentials needed for living well now and in the future. To future proof the design, improve efficiency & longevity, it is entirely single level living, with high raked ceilings, 6.6km Solar PV system, double-glazed windows, grey water system & high performing insulation. Passive design strategies were also incorporated and use ambient energy where possible to light, heat & cool the home.

Want to find out more about the U House? Visit ckarchitects.com.au