Understandably, on the night, their entry could only be communicated at a high level via a shortlist of images and words, but after spending time with the team, there is no doubt of the worthiness of this project as best practice in sustainability, the skill, vision, and collaborative efforts of the project outstanding.
A building transformation and re-lifing exercise, to understand the architecture and design with intention, TZG undertook a deep study of the building’s history. Starting its life as 1880s villa built for the Campbell family, through to housing the German consulate, with additions and adaptions over the decades, stripping back and adding to the original in ad hoc ways.
The project started with a deep consideration of how much to keep and to lose, an exercise in additions and insertions, salvaging material for re-use and minimising waste. The firm were pushed to create ‘white-box’ architecture (to their own admission, outside of their comfort level) one of the only specifics of the informal brief. The original elements were restored, and the creation of new contemporary elements fit seamlessly. The resulting design, a play of integration and separation resounding with a spatial simplicity and classicism.
Overlaid are a suite of beautifully resolved details connecting the old and new. Window hoods transition from contemporary streamlined to end in a soft nuance curve to the base, which not only reflects the curves of the original building, but practically allows for a variety of sill styles and depths. Similarly masterful is the fine floating handrail detail, light and elegant, winding up the stair like a piece of jewellery inside the prism- like glazed transparent staircase revealing the original façade.
The built environment sits generously around the central fig tree—a courtyard for gathering and socialising), drenched in natural light year-round due to the ingenious system of louvres (for ventilation and sun shading blades (with photovoltaic panels transforming the sun into electricity powering the building,) providing protection from the elements and ensure the visibility of the sky.
A case study couldn’t be complete without a mention of the materiality. The old brick is matched with new architectural expressions in contemporary glass bricks, mirror, married with metal, zinc, and timber veneer: Calm durable and timelessly transforming the domestic building into a contemporary workplace.