Westgarth_Description — Trower Falvo Architects

Westgarth

Northcote, Victoria
2024

Project Team
Dayne Trower, Simona Falvo

Photography
Ben Hosking

Designed for a young family, our Westgarth project comprises alterations and additions to an existing Edwardian style house with a typical symmetrical configuration of rooms arranged around a central entry axis.

The challenge of accessing natural light from the primary southern orientation was addressed by establishing three key zones in the design, which acted as an overarching ordering system.

Simply, the existing house of red flush joint bricks is allocated to bedrooms and work spaces, leading to a centrally positioned services block for bathrooms, utility and storage. This is then followed by a generous living volume which can be adapted to suit the family’s evolving needs.

For practical reasons, the central services area is elevated above the ground, and then steps down to the bare concrete living area floor. Seven multidirectional sliding doors open fully to the contained rear garden, unrestricted to views and activity.

Above this timber framed opening sits a steel, sun shading canopy, designed to be as thin as possible to achieve a sense of lightness in contrast to the flanking recycled brick walls. Appearing free of the building, the canopy is a continuation of our interest in early Australian kite and aircraft componentry, which we explore in our practice work. To assist with this legibility of the canopy, the diagonal, circular hollow section struts bolt to either side of equal angle cassettes and repeat along the length of the opening.

Light is brought into the living space through a pair of north facing hinged doors, providing ventilation and access to two courtyards, including an enclosed fern garden to the west and a productive garden to the east.