This is an article from the Architecture Australia archives and may use outdated formatting
Eagle/Gascoigne Alterations
Housing Commendation
TOWNSEND & ASSOCIATES
top Looking from the hall into the home office, with the living/dining/kitchen area at left. above The new dining room, looking towards the living area beyond the pillar.
A 1930s red brick residence in a
heritage precinct of Canberra has been
altered and extended to provide modern
living areas and a home office which
also serve as a domestic gallery for a
notable collection of Australian
contemporary art. These latest
renovations follow early 1980s
alterations which have been updated.
The new scheme opens the rear of the
house for casual living related to the
back garden and north-western sun.
Various passive solar and heat-efficiency
treatments are included in the
architectural concept and the
practicality of the interior is enhanced
by many purpose-designed cabinets.
Jury Verdict
The modest exterior of this Canberra
box masks the sophisticated interplays
of volume and light within. The attention
to environmental considerations and
detail, and the ability of the design to
provide constant enjoyment for the
owners, is clearly evident.
This house will always be a red brick
bungalow and there has been no
attempt to make it otherwise. The
integrity of the original building has
been retained and even enhanced.
At the entrance, a seat incorporated into
the front porch and a rice paper front
door discreetly hint at internal changes.
The drawing of light into the house is a
key feature of the new renovations but
is complicated by the nature of
Canberra’s climate. The west-facing
living areas at the back of the house
have been insulated with double-glazed
doors and a simple pergola frame in the
garden can support a canvas shade. In
the living room, black tiling segues into
timber floors, linking the old and the
new and both sides of the house.
Whilst the client’s art collection was a
driving element in the design, strong
domestic elements eliminate any sense
that the house is merely a gallery.
It is a supreme example of a building
type which engages a large proportion
of architects in this country.
North-west elevation and new portal.
Photography Ben Wrigley
Eagle/Gascoigne Alterations, Canberra Architects and Interior Designers Townsend &
Associates—project architects Bruce Townsend,
Peter Booth. Structural Engineers Northrops
Engineers. Lighting Consultant John Liston.
Quantity Surveyors RAD. Tenant Department of
Education. Builder RHG Constructions.