FMD Architects utilised slender lengths of timber to “stitch” collectively this narrow Melbourne residence and its new garden extension.
The project, called Cross-Stitch Property, involved extending the single-storey residence to develop new family members residing spaces, as nicely as strengthening natural light in the present rooms.
The quick provided to Melbourne-based FMD Architects named for space to display 3 tapestries created by the client’s mother. The architects used this as the commencing level for their design.
“Our design and style technique is usually to celebrate the particularities of the task,” explained the crew, “so even though exploring the tradition of tapestry and stitching strategies, the idea of stitching the new form to the previous established the layout approach.”
Related story: Bent Architecture’s wooden extension screens a Melbourne property from neighbouring “McMansion”
Wooden columns and beams are installed along one particular side of the building, framing each the wall and the pitch of the roof. The consequence is a series of linear protrusions intended to search like stitches.
At the junction amongst the home and the extension, these wooden elements splay out about a column and create the framework for a skylight.
At the other end, they extend out into the backyard to enclose a patio and a small pool – related to an additional Melbourne extension by architect Andrew Maynard, and a single in Spain by architect duo Anna and Eugeni Bach.
Some of the beams fold back to generate louvres across the glazed end wall, and a single produces an arch at the rear entrance to the site.
“The timber beams kind the thread that stitches the living area to the current residence, then beyond to the western courtyard,” stated the architects. “The timber beams converge into a large timber column, reminiscent of a bobbin thread.”
“Inside of the courtyard, a mirror is positioned strategically at the end of the threads to extend the area and develop a sense of unravelling,” they continued.
“The timber threads twist in excess of the western facade to supply shading to the living region, which will quickly be overgrown above by greenery.”
The new living area developed by the extension offers open-prepare spaces for cooking, dining and lounging. The pool of water, located just outdoors, aids to naturally amazing this room.
Wooden fittings had been added throughout the area, matching the stitch elements. They contain a kitchen counter with a triangular profile and a storage unit with angular drawers.
In the existing house, a generous lightwell was produced to deliver daylight into the master bedroom and bathroom. Wooden particulars in these rooms resonate with these in the living area.
“What was a damp, dark Victorian terrace has now turn into a series of spaces which have robust connections to the exterior, supplying ever-shifting natural light, and organic ventilation and cooling,” additional the firm.
Photography is by Peter Bennetts.
Task credits:
Project team: Fiona Dunin, Andrew Carija, Robert Kolak
Builder: Grenville Architectural Building P/L
Structural engineer: Macleod Consulting P/L
Landscape architect: Eckersley Garden Architecture
Floor strategy – click for more substantial picture 
Prolonged segment – click for greater picture 
Cross part – click for more substantial image 
