Going Vertical

Architecture - by Stephen Crafti

Architect Fiona Winzar was looking for a new home for nearly two years; something that offered more scope to work with than the apartment she was living in with her family, partner Robert Sdraulig and between them, their four children. “Our apartment was a bit noisy (overlooking Fitzroy Street in St. Kilda) and we were to keen to have some outdoor space,” says Winzar.

In Winzar’s search, she came across what she describes as ‘the ugliest house in the street’. The 1980s two-storey, clinker brick townhouse, located in a narrow street in South Melbourne, almost filled the 130-square-metre site. “We considered knocking it down for a ‘nano-second’, but it was more sustainable and cost-effective to recycle as much as possible,” says Winzar, who appreciated the building’s ‘good bones’, set against the rear boundary. “I couldn’t have come up with a more ideal site coverage given current planning regulations,” she adds.

Photo: Richard Glover

However, the townhouse required expansion to accommodate the family. At one stage, Winzar contemplated retaining the ground floor as a separate apartment and then adding another level (the latter was realised). But as the children are now older, with one daughter celebrating after her last school exams, having the ground floor, as a teenage retreat, seemed more appropriate. “They can have friends stay over and use that space for entertaining,” says Winzar, who reworked the ground floor to include two bedrooms, a bathroom/laundry, kitchenette and living area, orientated to a northern courtyard.

The middle level, previously the first floor of the townhouse, was also redesigned to include three modestly sized bedrooms, a shared bathroom, together with the main bedroom and ensuite. While the bedrooms are compact, as small as 3 X 3 metres, they, like the other rooms in the house, share a lightwell that extends across what is now a three-level home. “You don’t need to have huge bedrooms, particularly if space is allocated in other areas,” says Winzar, who was mindful of creating a more open-plan arrangement on the top level.

Photo: Richard Glover

Winzar created one fluid open-plan space on the top level to benefit from the northern light, as well as engaging with what she terms as the ‘clipped’ views of Melbourne’s city skyline. And rather than a uniform ceiling, Winzar designed an angular ceiling that reaches a peak in the centre of the living area. “I refer to the shape as like a ‘barn in the sky’,” says Winzar, who insulated part of the ceiling using perforated acoustic plaster panels. This allows Sdraulig to hear his music via giant speakers and the children can be children, rather than young adults. And to complement the perforated ceiling, walls are made from plywood, as are the floors and birch plywood joinery complements this palette of materials. “It’s deliberately robust, but these materials are also economical,” says Winzar, who was able to purchase some of these finishes off the shelf.

The kitchen, located at the southern end of the floor plate, also combines plywood and bamboo, but combined with marble benches and splashback. And in contrast to the loft ceiling heights in the dining and living areas, the ceiling over the kitchen falls away to only two metres in height. “I had to address Res-Code requirements, but lowering the ceiling also helps delineate the kitchen,” says Winzar.

Photo: Richard Glover

One of the most dramatic changes to the building’s typology has been the transformation of the façade. The stairwell, which was added by Winzar, is expressed in timber (internally and externally). In contrast, the 1980s clinker bricks have simply been rendered, inside and out to create a more contemporary feel.

Photo: Richard Glover

While the garden isn’t large, the north-facing patch at ground level includes a raised deck that doubles as seating. The generous terrace on the top level also has built-in timber seating together with a garden bed. And wrapping the entire façade is an unusual angular pergola. Made from steel and stainless steel mesh, this mesh/balustrade will eventually support creepers, such as ornamental grapes and Boston ivy for sun protection.

Photo: Richard Glover

Since moving to her new home, Winzar has found her power bills slashed to half (solar panels on the roof) combined with hydronic heating. But as important has been the change in moving to a house. “There’s a sense of calmness that we didn’t have before, even though we’re living on the edge of the city,” adds Winzar.