Andrew Benn of Benn+Penna architects explains that before the renovation, this property was a pretty typical Australian suburban bungalow. The client brief was to transform this small and dark home into a light filled environment, with room for the whole family. The clients also discussed with Andrew and the team their love of contemporary Japanese architecture… and from this ‘Twin Peaks’ emerged!
The new double-hatted addition provides two new spaces upstairs, with all of the bedrooms relocated to the timber lodges in the sky. A central corridor runs between the two spaces, separating the children’s and adult’s bedrooms on either side. Andrew explains ‘the central corridor is conceived as a dreamy, abstract space, conceptually seen as the residual gaps between lodges.’
With the sleeping zones in the new ‘M shaped’ skyline, the downstairs area has been reconfigured for communal living and dining. An internal void was introduced to drop natural light into the dining room, and create a connection between the levels of the home.
The work of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma was a particular inspiration for this design, and Andrew highlights how his ‘use of modest materials’ create private, calm, and humble spaces. He describes, ‘our intention was to create a space that was not only visually appealing, but abstract and immersive in all human senses.’ With its blackened cedar cladding, minimal interiors, and shards of light which pierce through strategic openings in the new addition, this home of bold contrasts is both contemplative, and aesthetically arresting!
