Clarke
Austin Maynard Architects regard problems as opportunities, forging creative solutions to turn everyday necessities into design assets. The exterior of Clarke is architecturally striking and precision detailed but the beautiful angled hardwood battens serve an intrinsic purpose, unifying the form by embedding solutions into the language of the building.
Photos 1 to 14 by Derek Swalwell.
Photos 15 to 31 by Austin Maynard Architects.
THE WHAT
A family of four, work-from-home professionals and their two teenage daughters, concluded after ten years and the Covid lockdowns, that their living situation was no longer working. Clarke is the renovation and extension of a single-storey weatherboard cottage once void of light, definition, separation and all hope of personal space.
Drawn to deliberative design, simplicity and functionality, inspired by their year living in Japan, the family asked for more considered and purposeful space. “Something different.” Modern but not stark or boxy, bright and airy but also cosy and comfortable, areas to come together and entertain and private spaces to retreat, suited to each individual.
In realising all aspects of the brief and embedding the solutions into the language of the building, the extension became an unusual stepping and overlapping shape. To unify, a batten screen is set over, providing shade and privacy (to both the owners and their neighbours) and bringing together new and old in a simple meeting of forms.
THE WHO
The owners purchased the house, their first property, fifteen years ago. It had undergone a basic update, was north facing, close to shops, transport and local school and had a pretty weatherboard-cottage frontage. For a decade it served the family, until one day it didn’t. With the children and their friends growing “bigger and louder” and staying up later, the home they all inhabited, to live, work and play, began to close in on them. They were all in each others space. And then Covid happened.
Ascertaining this would be the only major renovation they would ever do, the owners contacted Austin Maynard Architects. “We loved the studio’s work and their whole design ethos - the creativity and sustainability.” Though they don’t consider themselves daring people, with AMA engaged, they decided to “just go for it”. To “trust the process and let it rip.”
THE BRIEF
The owner’s brief detailed two major objectives - functionality and space to harmoniously co-exist. “Alone Together” was the prevailing theme. They asked for intimate retreats and areas spacious enough to accommodate large family gatherings. The indoors and outdoors would seamlessly merge. They wanted a highly practical and socially active living/kitchen/dining, with a laundry, a pantry, a dedicated home office and a second study / guest bedroom. With recent studies showing around fifty percent of 18 to 29 year olds still living at home, they hoped to provide their teenagers with their own ‘apartment’ - or at least the feeling of one.
Inspired by their love and experience of life in Japan, simplicity was key. The design would be uncomplicated and practical to allow for all aspects of their day-to-day life, working from home, riding their bikes, doing laundry, to be easy, accessible and enjoyable.
THE RESPONSE
The old house presented great character and was in generally good condition, requiring only necessary work to thermally and structurally improve the fabric (re-stumping, repainting, re-plastering, new flooring, heating and electrical). The bathroom and ensuite had already been upgraded and a redo was not required.
The alteration and addition begins with the configuration of new side entry, to bypass private space and re-orient access into the centre of the house. The gate opens into the first of three pocket gardens / light-wells, inviting in airflow and views of greenery, penetrating here through to the laundry and the home-office at each side.
Off the entry a perforated steel staircase leads directly up to the ‘apartment’, comprising two bedrooms, a central bathroom ‘box', a secret pink craft room and a study/TV/retreat, with a generous hammock utilising the high ceiling.
To define the original part of the house in respect to the addition, the external materiality of painted weatherboards is continued through internally. Not typically used as an interior wall finish, it’s application draws the exterior inside, creating visual and spatial separation between the old and newly built and confusing the perception of inside and out. Bluestone paving is used as internal flooring inside the entry to further reinforce the intent.
In strategically avoiding the expansive open-plan living from feeling as the owners feared, “too cavernous” the lounge room extends off the main entertaining zone. Providing just the right amount of space, the form is slightly raised and protrudes, like a pavilion, into the garden.
THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE
For every architecturally designed home, there are a stack of unattractive everyday necessities - bins, bikes, lawnmowers, air conditioning units, hot water tanks - poised to defile it.
At Clarke these unavoidable everyday items have been factored into the fabric of the building, turning them into design assets. This thoughtful incorporation at concept stage, guarantees optimum placement, purpose and performance. All services are gathered and housed together along the eastern boundary, out of sight behind a large sliding batten screen to allow for access when necessary.
On the western boundary, opportunity presented by the previously underused side laneway is maximised. Further on from the new central entryway, also concealed behind a large sliding batten screen, is a storeroom, wherein lives the bikes and bins. Adjacent is a gate opening to another light well / pocket garden beside the living room and kitchen, super handy for taking out the trash.
POCKET GARDENS
Double fronted homes like these typically have a central hallway ‘spine’, running front to back, with rooms on each side. The owners didn’t want to lose the joy of seeing garden from the entry. More than just protect the visual flow front front to back, the design of Clarke expands on the theme, creating views of garden from a multitude of angles. Lightwell pocket gardens are implemented strategically within the layout, bringing definition, greenery, natural light and air flow to the internal spaces - minimising the need for air conditioning.
THE PINK ROOM
When considering a renovation, addition or a new home, it’s standard to start with a list detailing your plans and goals. When the owners of Clarke first contacted Austin Maynard Architects to discuss their renovation ideas the last item on their list read: “And my daughter wants a secret room. And you guys do secret rooms.”
The Pink Room is hidden behind a push panel door at the top of the stairs, utilising the attic space within the roof of the old house. Addressing and respecting the different personalities of the children, the younger is able to freely express her artistic creativity and indulge in messy projects without disturbing the more “zen” nature of her older sister, within their shared common area.
THE BATTENS
In realising all aspects of the brief, from wants to needs, the extension became an unusual stepping and overlapping shape. To unify, a batten screen is set over, bringing together the addition in a simple meeting of forms, while providing shade and protection, restricting overlooking, and creating a covered verandah.
The angle of the battens is generated by following the pitch of the old house roof. Though not the same building, or the same materials, it's the same pitch with batons all running in the same direction to create a visual language, a discussion and shared DNA. Building a two story addition creates the problem of overlooking and the battens solve this issue. The continuation of the battens is carried down to as a continuous form, to read as a flat facade.
Services and a bike/bin store are incorporated into the addition on either side, concealed behind sliding batten screens. The screen and the full height glass windows in the lounge pavilion also slide away at the corner, to fully open up into the garden.
SUSTAINABILITY
As with all our projects, sustainability is the core consideration. Whenever possible the existing fabric is retained and repaired to improve and increase performance and thermal efficiency.
The majority of the original building has been preserved and repaired with insulation installed in the roof and double glazing to the existing windows. Clarke is fossil fuel free, 100% electric, with a 6.6KW solar system on the roof, battery provision and an electric car charging point.
An electric heat pump hot water system and an electric heat pump hydronic heating system, with heating coils are laid within the concrete floor at ground level and panels installed at first floor
The new rear structure has been re-oriented to maximise north and east sun. The batten screen creates shading to the large glazed openings ensuring the summer sun does penetrate and heat up the interior spaces, but in winter, makes full use of the solar gain, heating the thermal mass of the concrete floor.
The windows are high performance, thermally broken, double glazing throughout.
The walls of the new addition are fully insulated, so too in the walls of the old part of the house, where internal lining was replaced). The highest R value available for the structurally depth; R2.7. R.6 is installed to all roofs.
Internally the home contains LED light fittings throughout (where new was required), low VOC finishes and coatings and ethically sourced materials. A 3000Lt water tank is installed at the end of the garden. Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) report recycles rainwater to toilets and laundry and determines overland flow management.
Natural light and cross ventilation to all living spaces have been maximised, with large openings. Ceiling fans installed in all bedrooms and within the teenage retreat, further reducing the reliance on mechanical cooling.
OWNERS STATEMENT
“Our home served its purpose for the first ten years but then it quickly become apparent we needed more space. The plan was to contact three different architecture firms but after first meeting with Austin Maynard Architects that was it. We loved their work and their whole design ethos - the creativity and sustainability. We trusted the team to come up with a design that would work from a functional and from an artistic perspective. To design something modern and different, not just the prevalent box on the back. We felt this would probably be the only major renovation we'd ever do, and we should just go for it. Let it rip and and trust the process.
Everything we wanted has been factored in and everything has a place. It feels like a large house but no space is wasted. There isn’t a section of this house that isn't used. The house accommodates different people's personalities - some of us are neat and some not so neat, so there’s a lot more harmony. The kids have their private retreat but the house is so nice they want to be downstairs too.
There are big scale surprises and beautiful small scale details. We love the openings through the large sliding glass doors and the light-well windows that open up fully, bringing in more green areas and beautiful cross breezes. You don't need to put the air conditioning on. The view to the east and the open sky and big gum trees was so important and now we have the TV room raised up and facing out, which is stunning at all times of day. The design is so functional for how we live. We struggled with our bikes and now its super easy to jump on and go.
We love the small details too, like the niche recesses for our chopping boards and stepladder, the built in cocktail bar and bar fridge and the secret glasses compartment in the end of the island bench. The interiors were an invaluable part of the Austin Maynard package, it wasn’t just the shape and form of the house, it was so much more, on so many more levels.
The design encourages entertaining, it’s so easy it makes us feel very relaxed and happy having people over. The house affords us choice about where we want to be, together or separate. We often go upstairs when the kids aren’t here to read a book on the net. The light is so lovely up there, it’s another retreat for us. It wouldn’t become a redundant space because we would use it. We could totally take it over.”
Austin Maynard Architects Project Team
Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin, Kathryne Houchin
Completion date
January 2025
Builder
CBD Contracting
Landscape Architect
McNuttNDorff Landscapes
Engineer
WebbConsult Engineers
Traditional land owners
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of The Coolum Nation
