Architecture

A Minimal Timber Addition For A Heritage Ballarat Home

This two-storey Federation-era home in Ballarat was always aesthetically beautiful, but the spaces within were no longer appropriate for modern living. The living room was at the very front of the house, the laundry was in an outbuilding, and the rear positioned 1980s kitchen was completely disconnected from the backyard beyond.

Moloney Architects were engaged to rectify these issues, while maintaining the beauty of the original rough-textured rendered brickwork facade, and introducing a contemporary addition.

While seemingly unchanged from the street, the home’s original rooms have been revitalised, followed by a low-lying minimal extension that embraces natural light and garden views.

Written
by
Amelia Barnes
|
Photography
by
|

The rear view of the 107-square-metre addition.

The low-lying addition opens to to the previously ignored garden.

The look of the addition is minimal, drawing inspiration from Japanese architecture in terms of its materiality, exposed structural grids, and connection to the landscape.

Black steel, birch plywood, and concrete make up the new material palette.

Five 13-metre-long laminated Victorian ash beams support the roof plane.

The black steel island bench includes a small double-sided sitting area for informal meals, and a generous bench for entertaining and family gatherings.

The addition is separated from the heritage dwelling by a narrow glazed corridor with landscaped courtyards on either side.

The custom steel and timber dining table utilises salvaged off-cuts from the large glulam (glued laminated timber) beams above.

The new powder room in the addition.

The extension also contains a study, laundry, and pantry.

The new main bedroom en suite in the renovated original home.

The main bedroom suite is on the ground floor to support ageing in place.

Writer
Amelia Barnes
Photography
14th of December 2023
Location

Ballarat, VIC/Wadawurrung Country

Until recently, the interiors within this Federation home in Ballarat did not live up to the grandeur of the house’s heritage facade.

Few original period features remained, and the layout did little to capture natural light or provide comfort.

The client’s brief was simply for an open-plan, light-filled living space, in addition to a main bedroom suite on the ground floor to support ageing in place.

Moloney Architects designed an almost entirely new ground floor, starting with demolishing the home’s non-original rooms (including the kitchen), leaving only a large living room at the front. This room was transformed into the home’s easily accessible main bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and en suite.

The living room and kitchen were relocated to the new, low-lying addition at the ground floor rear. Accessed via the home’s original back door, this 107-square-metre addition is separated from the heritage dwelling by a narrow glazed corridor with landscaped courtyards on either side.

‘These courtyards not only bring light and views to what would otherwise be dark “landlocked” rooms in the heritage house, they also establish a subtle transition space, bridging the old and the new,’ says Mick Moloney, director of Moloney Architects.

The architects designed the addition in a deliberately contrasting style to the original home that supports the practical needs of the clients and provides close connections to the previously ignored garden.

Eoghan Doherty, associate director at Moloney Architects, explains the design intent. ‘When dealing with heritage properties, we tend to steer away from architectural interventions that aim to replicate the style or form of the original structure to help preserve the integrity of the original design.’

The look of the addition is therefore minimal, drawing inspiration from Japanese architecture in terms of its materiality, exposed structural grids, and connection to the landscape.

Most prominently, the new living space is defined by five 13-metre-long laminated Victorian ash beams that support the roof plane, complemented by black steel, birch plywood, and concrete.

‘The minimal material palette gives the impression that the open space is itself a single crafted piece of joinery,’ says Mick.

A halo of highlight windows — separating the roof from the walls — allow light to permeate deep into the space.

Moloney Architects also custom designed furniture to suit the space’s proportions and material palette, including the steel and timber dining table that utilises salvaged off-cuts from the large glulam (glued laminated timber) beams above.

In addition to the open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen, the extension contains a study, laundry, powder room, and pantry.

The upper floor remains structurally untouched, offering additional bedrooms and a bathroom, without the need for any alterations.

The renovations and extension have significantly improved this home’s liveability. Opening up the heritage structure has introduced more natural light and landscape views, while the addition has facilitated a more energy-efficient and comfortable space.

The house now meets the practical needs of the clients, without sacrificing the beauty of the original heritage design, or impacting the streetscape.

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