This single family house in Glen Iris provides sleeping areas within the original Edwardian house and a new living space to the rear

The new space consists of two main forms that are ‘plugged-on’ to the rear of the original house. The two forms then slide against each other. This shift defines both the dining/living area against the kitchen/services area and also shapes the deck area to the north.

One form is an understated domestic lean-to that lifts up to reveal the Edwardian detail of the original house. The other is a dramatic black hood that cuts and wraps in and out forming canopies, structure, roof and walls.

The black hood is heavy and forceful pushing down on the light timber frame. Yet the volume that the hood describes is oversized and large, as it is a remnant of the bigger, higher envelope from an early developmental scheme.

This volume pushes back against the hood creating the tension that characterises the house.

Smaller elements of the interior are detailed alongside the larger formal ideas of the scheme creating moments within the house that slide and push against the building itself.