Page 53 - AB Awards 2015

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a private courtyard garden by
the addition of a new art studio
at the rear. Detailing the entire
studio in translucent panelling
allows it to be turned into a giant
lantern at night.
This project is beautifully
considered in a multitude of
small details, a collection of
careful interventions that has
given dramatic effect despite
adding up to no more than 40
sqm of additional area.
Set within the vast grounds of
the Australian Botanic Garden
at Mount Annan this building
traces its siting to the tradition of
18th century English Landscape
Gardens, set up as a ‘folly’ atop
a hill, clearly visible on approach.
By doing so the building sets up
a clear relationship of prospect
and refuge - providing shelter
from the elements without and
framed views and vistas of the
parklands from within, allowing
visitors to pause and process
the magnitude of the landscape
beyond.
The project has achieved a
simple but expressive detailing
in the tradition of the agricultural
vernacular, showcasing its
construction in a straightforward
yet considered manner despite
clear time and cost constraints.
It provides a welcoming public
space for both large and small
gatherings with minimal use of
materials and embellishment, yet
creates a robust sense of place.
This project exhibits restraint and
imagination in equal measures,
taking care to preserve and
enhance the best aspects of the
existing 1910’s sandstone cottage,
while inserting additions that
connect house to garden and
uplift everyday habitation. Unlike
the more common strategy
of extending towards the rear,
the architect instead chose to
place the addition to the side
of the existing cottage, taking
advantage of the full width of
the block and creating new living
areas that are both connected
with, but clearly distinct from the
old cottage. While the cottage
retains its well defined and
intimate rooms, new areas open
both outwards to the garden and
upwards to the sky, bringing light
and animating the interiors in
myriad ways throughout the day.
What had previously been an
inaccessible back yard devoid of
privacy has been reconnected
to the house and turned into
Photography: Peter Bennetts
Photography: Roger D’Souza
AGL Lakeside Pavilion
Kennedy Associates Architects
Tempe House
Eoghan Lewis Architects
SMALL PROJECT
COMMENDATION
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