How can a 19th-century worker's cottage be adapted for contemporary family living while remaining resilient to the challenges of the 21st century?

To address this question, we developed an approach that embraces Brisbane’s enjoyable climate while maximizing landscaping potential.

The desire for inner-city living inspired the owners to purchase a severely dilapidated Victorian-era timber worker's cottage on a 240sqm block on the western edge of Brisbane’s CBD as their family home.

The poor condition of the cottage prompted a strongly context-driven, net-zero design, proving that resource efficiency needn’t cost more or compromise living quality, while creating lasting value and a home that is significantly cheaper to run.

The orientation of the existing cottage and proximity to the Inner-City Bypass presented challenges with western sun exposure, security, and traffic noise. The goal was to create a family-friendly home, minimizing solar heat impact while preserving the original cottage's character. The alteration provided the opportunity to resolve these challenges through a reorientation of the cottage.

The square orientation of the property allowed for addressing these challenges through the simple reorientation of the house's axis. Stepping the rear alignment of the house enabled the Sun to become an asset to the house rather than a liability, providing an equal external area to the existing cottage despite doubling the internal area.

Inside, the compact footprint terraces down the site, opening gradually into the surprisingly generous garden that creates a sense of solitude and sanctuary. Vertically, the house is stacked with the living spaces at ground level, merging with the landscape and interacting with the narrow inner-city street, while the private areas are lifted above, providing the opportunity to retreat up into the house when desired.

The openness of the home creates a place to celebrate the inherent qualities of family life, from the perfunctory task of household management to welcoming friends and family to celebrate, play, and share stories over meals. The articulation of the living spaces enables activities of children to dissociate while remaining connected.

Aesthetically, the home gathers elements from the surrounding neighborhood—houses, churches, shops—much like a bowerbird collecting treasures to build its nest. It weaves these into a contemporary expression that is neither controlled by nor in contrast to the character of the place; intentionally a graceful insertion rather than an assertive statement.

While a holistic approach to sustainability took advantage of circular economy opportunities, such as the salvage and reuse of kitchen carcasses and downlights, and the reuse of salvaged glass remade into a redesigned window, the use of reclaimed brick within the reverse brick veneer wall provides not only an opportunity for a second life for the materials but also the deployment of a thermal battery.