DUPLEX MUSE

MAKO was tasked to improve and expand a modest 3 bedroom ‘ex-govvie’ house to accommodate the needs of a growing family. The home had undergone minor alterations over the years, however the family had outgrown the highly efficient layout of the original home. The central idea of the proposed home was to undertake ‘surgery’ to the existing dwelling to allow the addition of a new wing accommodating a second living space and study area, along with a new garage with associated workshop. The new living space and study both address the external living space that is designed to be a well protected sun filled courtyard that extends the period of the year where the residents can occupy the outside portions of the home as well as the inside. The organisation of the new spaces both maximises amenity for the family, provides connections to the garden and embraces the notion of the ‘home’ occupying the entire site and not just the building envelope. The positioning of the addition helps to ameliorate impacts on the adjacent ‘other half’ of the duplex home. Window systems, materials selection, and joinery details were developed to reference details and selections in the existing dwelling in a sympathetic and contemporary way. The approach to detailing and materials selection goes beyond the simply aesthetic but seeks to acknowledge the deeper qualities of the elements - thermal mass, structural function, connections. As such materials are left exposed and utilised to compose the spaces rather than concealed by an applied finish.