Playtime House in Northcote, Melbourne Residence, Home, Australian Architecture, Images
Playtime House in Northcote
Villa Extension in Victoria, Australia ? design by Guild Architects
11 Jan 2018
Playtime House
Design: Guild Architects
Location: Northcote, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Playtime House

Fun filled, light flooded first floor extension to a Californian bungalow in Northcote.
– More space and storage for growing family ? three young children sharing the one small bedroom before the renovation.

– More light to ground floor areas and better internal/external connection.

– Sustainability: passive solar design, maximising re-use/retention of existing building and a long-term goal of transitioning off fossil fuels.
– Fun spaces for the children and more storage (including their colour coded LEGO!)

Challenges:

– Improve light quality and outside connection to the southern end of the building without extensive re-configuration to the existing house (which was in good condition). A covered deck attached to the house, dense vegetation to the eastern side and a study centred on the hallway (a classic Californian bungalow feature) meant the house was dark and had poor external connection.

– Retaining the ground floor 3.16 high ceilings whilst meeting ResCode setback standards to the first floor.

– Creating a thermally comfortable second storey without the aid of traditional mass materials such as brick and concrete (precl...