This grand, repurposed home is like no other. Featuring heavy, fortress-like masonry construction, the home’s post-war original structure is lovingly carved and moulded into multiple living spaces for guests to gather and enjoy.
To create this awe-inspiring concrete monument, the homeowners’ daily rituals were cleverly mapped out, measuring how they will naturally use the space, while also taking care of the home’s historic origins. “A primitive architectural intention was used to establish building and landscape through the metaphor of a ruin,” says director and architect Christopher Furminger. “The site was conceived as a large garden to hold programs for daily activities. Heavy masonry walls intersect the site, carving out public and private courtyard gardens, creating new entries into rooms through garden spaces, encouraging the inhabitants to engage with the surrounding climate, landscape and structure.”
Within the concrete structure, there are smaller dwellings, each with a separate entrance
By maintaining as much of the existing building fabric as possible and working with the existing plan, Christopher and his team developed a strategy to wrap the building with a new structure and maintain the central spaces within the home. This enabled the family to live on-site during construction, reducing the overall cost of the project.
Programmatic organisation and careful additions allow much of the home to operate as a series of smaller apartment-type dwellings through the use of separate entries, private courtyards and provisional services. This was important for the homeowners as it allowed for multiple types of occupation to occur, such as a work-from-home offi ce, separate dwelling for renters or accommodating extended family. “The intention was to create a building with a presence all of its own, to loom with physical power, embodying a geometric order with primitive structural force,” shares Christopher. “Heavy brick, tort concrete, pure dark void containing the endurance of the ruin, reduced to only what lasts.”
Each window is cleverly placed to catch the natural light
Each room of the home plays with height and light and strongly engages with the surrounding landscape. The repurposed entry, carport, offi ce, boot room, ensuite and walk-in robe naturally flow with the home’s stunning courtyards and gardens, softening the harsh masonry structure. “Here the garden is used as a mediator for all interior spaces. Landscape and structure sit on an equal footing, each treating the other with respect and care,” says Christopher.
Material exploration led to the use of commercial materials and construction techniques. The precast concrete flooring was used as the roof and tilt-up concrete panels as walls. “The use of tilt-up concrete walls and hollow-core concrete roof allowed us to develop a building with a high thermal mass. This helps the occupants by significantly reducing their heating and cooling energy requirements and the associated greenhouse gas emissions,” says Christopher.
High ceilings and a natural colour palette creates a calm and serene environment
A five-brick palette was developed during the excavation of the site. Stones and sand were collected and matched to masonry finishes, further linking the site to the building materials. As it is located on a flood plain, the home’s strong concrete structure also acts as its protector, countering the climatic conditions of the area and keeping the family safe inside.
“The main entry and garden, which is generally an area for cars to pass through, has been reinterpreted as a space with many uses,” says Christopher. “The front garden now competes with the riverfront for parties and social gatherings.”
