2023 Houses Awards: House Alteration and Addition over 200m²

Jury comment

In the current economic climate, the construction industry has been beset with uncertainty caused by escalating material and labour costs, rising interest rates and increasing pressure on the housing market. Compounded by the urgency of the climate crisis, these challenges demand solutions that are respectful, resourceful and responsible.

This composed alteration and addition is attentive to these fundamental responsibilities by working with the existing fabric and intentionally doing less. Strategic and surgical, the interventions retain most of the grand, Victorian-era house as well as its 1990s addition, skilfully repositioning rooms and openings to fine-tune the plan for contemporary use. A delicate new stair unlocks circulation, greatly improving connection between floors and drawing light deep into the floor plan.

The project is simple and humble yet elevated through restraint and understated clarity. New insertions are carefully detailed and show quiet refinement and precision, permitting old and new to harmoniously coexist. Fineness and solidity are deployed to bring a calmness to the spaces.

As much of the existing house has been reused as possible, and the synergy between all consultants is evident in the coherence of the finished outcome. In finding new life for a house’s older layers, Armadale House demonstrates the value and skill of the architect in re-use and reinvention.

The Award for House Alteration and Addition over 200m² is supported by Taubmans. See full image galleries of all the winning and shortlisted projects here.

Armadale House is built on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin nation.

Project credits

Project team: Rachel Neeson, Stephen Neille, David Coleborne, Ben Dixon Builder: Provan Built Engineer SDA Structures Landscape designer: Fiona Brockhoff Design