A New Hip Roof Rejuvenates a California-Style Bungalow in Melbourne
This Melbourne house inspired by California bungalows was renovated and extended without neglecting its original form or architectural language.
During the renovation, local building regulations required the design team to follow sensitive heritage considerations in terms of both the composition and the materials selected. In response to these regulations, Australian studio Architecture Architecture came up with a design that would retain the house's original gable roof in the front, but include a new hip roof for the rear extension.
Front
The original gable roof facade was preserved.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
Back
The 2,691-square-foot home was given an entire new roof and facade at the rear.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
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The architects began by studying the features of classic California bungalows—their ribbed gables, outlined fascias, darkened plinth, and bricked chimneystacks—and then used these elements to help guide the remodel.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
A gable roof with fascia ornamentation shelters the south-facing front section of the house where the formal living spaces are located.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
From the backyard in the north section, a reclining hip roof shelters the bedroom wing.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
The new roof changed the entire atmosphere of the home. Once low and flat, the ceilings now seem more generous and varied, lifting and dipping as they provide shade and illumination in different parts of the house.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
Architecture Architecture designed the living areas to be reoriented towards the backyard and northern sun in order to introduce more natural light to the darker corners of the house.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
Strategically-positioned windows, glazing, and skylights that follow the pitched roof's angles result in an interior that boasts sharp lines that are both contemporary and geometric.
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
Courtesy of Peter Bennett
Courtesy of Architecture Architecture
Courtesy of Architecture Architecture
Project Credits:
- Architecture: Architecture Architecture
- Builder/general contractor: Grenville Architectural Construction
- Structural engineering: Meyer Consulting
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