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Malleable Space

The Essex Street House project is a 500-square-foot (47-square-meter) one-story master suite addition to an existing, conventional 970-square-foot (90-square-meter) weatherboard house. Maynard continually uses the word "spill" when describing it, which is understandable considering that this addition consists almost entirely of flowing space. Walls are kept to a minimum, and those few are either movable or less than full height. Even the barriers between exterior and interior are glazed (spilling light) and moveable (spilling space).

The house is in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne, which developed its character from the worker housing and light industry that predominated in the late 1800s. Large lots, maximized rear gardens, and a variety of European-style cottages defined the area for decades.

As in many major cities, however, recently increasing property values and the demand for more housing near the city center has led to the frantic subdivision of both industrial and residential blocks.

Polite cottage architecture aside, the preserved rear garden of the Essex Street House differentiated this property from its neighbors, and Maynard appreciated this distinction. "A more miserly home owner would have seen an opportunity to divide their lot up and profit from the resulting two tight spaces. It is this rarity that makes the backyard such a treasure to be in — something that complements the extension further."

In order to best complement this private garden, the addition is organized into a linear bar-shaped plan and loosely connected to the back of the existing house at the reconfigured and slightly expanded kitchen. The addition extends out along the southern edge of the backyard, sitting beside the existing house like what Maynard calls "a loyal companion." The northern and eastern facades are formed by garage doors, which allow each new room to fully open onto — and spill into — the walled garden.

Light Industry

Even closed, the huge glazed doors allow light to enter the space judiciously through wood sunshades. These cedar slats are carefully configured to maximize solar gain in winter, minimize solar gain in summer, and offer a mesmerizing pattern of sunlight and shadow throughout the year.

Asked to expound on the role of sustainability in his designs, Maynard echoes what is quickly becoming an industrywide attitude: "sustainability is intrinsic to our work. It is a constant focus, but also something which we think should be a standard consideration of the design process, not an additional extra. We never try to create a 'green' type or style of building. All building should be (and traditionally was) very environmentally conscious."

Unfortunately, he continues, "the building industry is actually 100 years behind industrial processes such as electronics and even car manufacturing. The building process is slow, expensive, and very wasteful, hence the reason that we strive for adaptable spaces that respond to our increasingly mobile lifestyles."

Doing his part to minimize waste while nodding to the neighborhood's industrial past, Maynard uses recycled iron bark portal frames to structure the addition. "Architecturally," he states, "we were exploring structural expression in exposing the skeleton of the building."   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Essex Street House in Melbourne, by Andrew Maynard Architects. Photo: Peter Bennetts The facade opens thanks to large garage-like doors. Photo: Peter Bennetts The bath looks out over a private backyard. Photo: Peter Bennetts Bathing within nature. Photo: Peter Bennetts Site plan. Image: Andrew Maynard Architects Floor plan. Image: Andrew Maynard Architects Section looking north. Image: Andrew Maynard Architects Section looking south. Image: Andrew Maynard Architects   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.