“We were referred to Refresh by a work colleague. I have undertaken a number of projects so im very familiar with development and the role of the architect. What I liked about Erhard from the outset was his willingness to listen to what my wife and I were wanting for our next home. Erhard has a lot of experience and has a track record like many architects however unlike those we have worked with in the past he was keen to understand our ideas and in most cases he embraced them. This should not be understated as its is more often than not the biggest complaint f most architects – they give you what they want and more often than not the outcome is not functional. We wanted a home that was uniquely designed but most importantly it needed to be function for us and our two young boys. We love the home we have created and would highly recommend Erhard and the team at Refresh – so much so we have now completed the design of our second home with them.”
Timber battens create a play of light and shadow on the facade
Understated elegance towards Annie Street
The play of light and shadow creates different moods throughout the day
ANNIE STREET RESIDENCE
Contemporary Workers Cottage Renovation
Location
Paddington, QLD
Timeline
2019 - 2020
Situated in one of Brisbane’s oldest inner-city suburbs the Annie Street Residence consist of a progressive extension to an existing 1920’s traditional high-set timber worker’s cottage. The underlying conceptual driver was to create two contrasting volumes joined via a semi-transparent circulation void whilst maintaining the street character and qualities of the existing house.
Conceived as a bold dark double-storey rectilinear volume with transversing gable roofs the proposed extension consists of a new open plan ground floor kitchen, dining and outdoor living areas that provide an enhanced connection to the north-facing backyard and pool through large retracting doors. The upper floor contains a series of generous bedrooms organized around the double-height living space below which have elevated prospect to existing mature trees, the close-by hills and access to light and natural cross ventilation whilst addressing privacy and overlooking constraints from the adjacent neighbours.
The dialogue between the two contrasting volumes explores a series of split-level spaces that offer up differing types of occupation and spatial experiences for the user. Visually, it is eccentric and in a lot of ways a lively departure from the quintessential worker’s cottage.