118 OAK HOUSE
Colour and geometry permeate this
bold addition to a double-fronted
Victorian terrace house that offers
new-found connections to an
established oak tree.
WordsbyAlexandraBrown
Photography by Derek Swalwell
TheprojectthatwouldbecomeOakHousewasfirstdrawnupin2013.
Anticipatingthepossibilityofa longplanningapprovalprocessforalterations
andadditionstotheirdouble-frontedVictorianterracehome,theclientsbegan
workingwithKennedyNolanwellbeforetheywouldbeina positiontostart
constructionontheproject.Thingsmovedforwardfasterthanexpectedand,
monthslater,thedrawingswerereadybuttheclientswerenot.Capitalizing
onthisprotracteddesignphase,KennedyNolanhasworkedcloselywith
itsclientstomakea seriesofboldbutthoughtfuladditionstotheexisting
dwellingthatreflecta deepknowledge of existing conditions and sensitivity
to changingfamilydynamics.
Thehouseisa carefulbalancebetweenbold,almostpostmodern,
geometricforms,anda seriesofsubtle,site-specificgesturesandmodestly
scaledspacesthatpromotea strongsenseofintimacywhilemaintainingvisual
connections.Throughouttheproject,thearchitectshavecomplemented
thewarmthofterracottatiles,Douglasfircabinetryandredpowdercoated
aluminiumwitha numberofburntorangeandpink-inflectedfinishes.Many
spacesalsomanagetoincorporate cool grey concrete and splashes of bright
blue withapparentease.
TheinitialdesignforOakHouseestablisheda seriesoflargesitemoves
thatcontinuedtounderpintheprojectasit wasconstructedmorethanfive
yearslater:thenorth-facingcourtyardarrangement,connectionstoanestab-
lishedoaktreeinthecentreofthepropertyandthedecisiontogiveoverthe
secondfloorofthehousetotheclients’twosonswereallthereintheoriginal
design.Atthesametime,however,theexperienceoflivingintheolderterrace
houseallowedtheclientstimetogeta senseofwhatitsspacesmightbecome
and reconsider the details of the design as their young family began to grow up.
01 Theboldgeometry
atOakHouseis
balancedbysubtle
site-specificgestures
andmodestlyscaled
spacesthatrespond
to family life.
