Our ninjas over at Andrew Maynard Architects recently dropped us an email about the Vader House, a project in Fitzroy, Australia, which they recently completed. Contrary to the ominous name [I first thought of heavy breathing and the dark side, I have to admit], the project is an open, welcoming, and light-filled extension of a Victorian terrace.

Utilizing the existing brick walls to define the boundaries of the house, AMA inserted a glassy, transparent, steel-frame volume within the space - all surrounding a central courtyard space, creating what is essentially the antithesis of the original, dark, brick structure.

The plan clearly shows the pre-existing brick walls, and how all the newly created spaces surround an open courtyard space.

The high boundary walls, built in disregard of existing height regulations long before such rules were created, permitted a non-standard height along the northern boundary. The roofline then abruptly turns to follow the dictated set-back lines, resulting in a playful and telling interpretation of planning rules.

All the new works surround an outdoor courtyard space which becomes the new centre of the house- accessed by a series of glass doors it is the opposite of the dark masonry-clad rooms of the old house. The refined palate of materials is subverted where volumes are removed to reveal the flesh inside - coloured bright red with glass tiles and joinery.

The ‘playful’ roof-line [a byproduct of the site setbacks and height requirements] allows for a one and a half storey living space, complete with a small mezzanine - adding to the openness of the house, through both the increased height of the ceilings and the creation of high clerestory walls.

::more of Andrew Maynard Architects’ work on AMNP::

.:images, info + quoted text->via Andrew Maynard Architects->

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