Alteration & addition
Prevelly Beach House
2009

AIA ARCHITECTURE AWARDS (W.A. CHAPTER) 2010
ARCHITECTURE AWARD
FOR SMALL PROJECT ARCHITECTURE

Jury Comments:

" This is an intensely resourceful project building on this firms experience in re-making unloved (even undesirable) existing buildings. Asbestos beach shacks are routinely demolished in pursit of 'the new' causing the character and tradition of similar beach side locations to become something ele - extensions of Perth's suburbs. This almost imperceptible but substantial renovation project offers up both reasons to retain such buildings and a sophisticated manner of doing so. The shack remains a shack, its innate textures, patterns and qualities remain but have been broadened. Landscape, verandah, pergola, interior, surface and furniture are all carefully and quietly worked as new layers into or around the existing. Rudimentry materials and details are elevated to the level of beauty at the hand of the architect and builder."

Patroni + Walker
Michael Patroni
Dimmity Walker
WILLCONSTRUCT DESIGN Pty Ltd
 

Credits

Client
Project Team

General Contractor
 

This project is a modest alteration and addition to a holiday house, an existing 1950’s fibro & weather board cottage in Prevelly, on the south west coast of W.A. The concept for the renovation was to retain the low key charm and informality of the existing house, which had been added to in an ad hoc manner over time. It was also to be a low cost renovation, which meant sourcing salvaged materials, fixtures and furniture that would fit with the character of the house.

The decision to re use the existing structure was not only a financial one, but is also to do with preserving resources and expressing continuity between the past and present. We would hope that the life of this 60yr old cottage is extended by at least another 50yrs.

The value of retaining the original cottage is also potentially of wider significance as the character of the costal towns in the South West is slowly transformed by the demolition of original houses like this to make way for new and usually much bigger houses.

The house is sited back from the street, screened by a stand of wilderness and sits into the gentle rise of the block with an elevated west balcony and a grounded east outdoor area. A well defined area of grass extends from the outdoor living area like a carpet.

The surrounding natural bush and peppermint trees overhang this grassy area creating a shady park like feeling. The informal nature of the area means that not all properties are fenced and boundaries are fairly indistinct, so for the time being, the house enjoys a view of the two adjacent blocks that have never been built on and remain as natural bushland.

The alterations and additions added a bedroom and a laundry to the original house, and removed a bedroom from the middle of the main living area. This opened up the previously tight awkward space to create a single, larger living, kitchen and dinning area.

Salvaged materials such as the steel truss, jarrah floor boards, and the large floor to ceiling, wall to wall, timber framed window, are critical to the transformation of the space from small and confined to a sense of light and space and connection with the out doors.

The existing bathroom was simply renovated by removing the laundry fixtures and replacing them with salvaged fixtures, the existing concrete floor was re painted black and a new opalescent glazed window was added to the bathroom. A perforated timber panel screens the bathroom from the living areas.

The bedrooms are arranged in a ‘wing’ orientated to the south. The new bedroom incorporates part of the new retaining wall as a ledge, which extends out to define the east outdoor area. This area is shaded by the new timber batten and opalescent roofing pergola. The pergola element was design to unify the new and existing parts, and create an entry from the driveway.

Award
AIA (WA Chapter) Architecture Award- Small Project Architecture - 2010