The project is an alteration and addition of an existing brick and tile bungalow (circa 1930’s), in the beach side suburb of Cottesloe.
Kathleen Street House
Our conceptual approach to the site was to celebrate the sense of connection with the beach side location; an informal ‘beach house’ spirit; fluid connection of inside to out. A house that inhales the cool sea breezes and captures glimpses of the iconic Cottesloe pine trees at sunset.
Read more
As the site is several blocks from the beach with no view of the ocean – an ‘imagined vista’ is superimposed onto the glass louver screen that shrouds the upper level; a pixelated pattern of translucent blues and greys suggests light reflecting off the water or gathering clouds in a blue sky.
By retaining the original ‘30’s house to the street and adding the two-storey addition to the rear the streetscape amenity is maintained. The project embraces and integrates the old with the new, expressing continuity between the past, present and future.
The composition of the addition is a play of mass and lightness, consisting of white painted brick, as counter weight to the dark cantilevered box above, shrouded in the glass louver screen.
Internally, a sequence of cabinetwork elements stitch together the old and the new, like a string of beads, running from the front entrance, through the kitchen, to the fire place and down into the sunken living room.
AIA WA Chapter Awards Jury Citation:
“Spaceagency has bleached this once introverted bungalow into a sumptuously raw and expansive sea-side home. Exploiting orientation and the dual accessed site, they have grafted a slim two-storey addition to the rear and with intelligent planning, provided for modern, flexible, communal and private occupation…This house exudes modern luxury, deftly retaining the character of the original whilst comfortably embracing contemporary living requirements.”
