PRESERVING the past

Employing undulating floor plans and minimalist design principles, this Coburg home meets new flood zone requirements and offers space for the family to grow, while also preserving the property’s Federation-style charm

- KARSHA GREEN

DETAILS

HOUSE Coburg Freeboard House

LOCATION Coburg, Vic

DATE COMMENCED September 2015

DATE COMPLETED February 2020

Old homes are filled with charm and memories, but they also have ageing materials, poor site planning and mismatched design styles. More often than not, it’s easier to knock it down and start again, and with no heritage-listed protections on this weatherboard Federation home, there was no reason why the homeowners couldn’t do exactly that. A testament to their character, the homeowners “recognised the importance of maintaining the old building’s contribution to the streetscape, as well as its value to the overall architectural history of their neighbourhood,” says director and project architect, Weian Lim, from WALA.

Purchasing the old house in 2015 with plans to do a full renovation, the homeowners wanted a family abode that would serve them long-term and provide dedicated spaces for both themselves and their two children. In order to tick all the boxes offtheir checklist, including preserving the residence’s Federation-style facade as well as flood zone requirements, some clever design was employed.

“The design was envisaged as three interconnected building forms demarcated by courtyards,” says Weian. “The new design takes advantage of the necessary difference in floor levels between the old and new buildings and underlines this separation by keeping bedrooms and utility spaces in the front and dedicating the shared family spaces in the new rear extension.”