DOWNSIDE UP HOUSE
WEIAN LIM SHARES INSIGHT INTO DOWNSIDE UP HOUSE, AN EXERCISE IN DESIGNING ‘BIG HOME FEATURES’ ON A SMALL FOOTPRINT.
Architect’sstatement. The site for Downside Up house was passed over many times before our client and design team saw potential for the space, in spite of its odd shape and modest 130-square metre size. Without a creative architectural intervention, the original Heritage house may have continued on its path of disrepair.
The result is a contemporary double-storey addition that reflects good passive design principles and celebrates the prevalent pitched roof motif of Heritage-listed buildings in the neighbourhood – the inner Melbourne suburb of Albert Park.
Our studio had sought to successfully add another meaningful chapter to the story of this humble Victorian. The house subverts the typical ‘rear-ground-level-extension-facing-a-backyard’ approach without compromising light, space and quality of living.
“IT HAS BEEN A REASSURING EXPERIENCE THAT OUR CLIENT WAS ABLE TO RECOGNISE THE VALUE AN ARCHITECT CAN BRING TO A PROJECT, ASIDE FROM THE PERFUNCTORY AND NECESSARY.”
AR: How did the Downside Up house
