‘Terrace House’ is a project about fitting in rather than standing out and contributing to something bigger than the individual house—the broader heritage place.
Set within the heritage streetscape of Fitzroy, the new house comprises three buildings separated by a garden and light court. Their siting responds to planning controls and neighbouring setbacks, resulting in a mass that is not dissimilar to a traditional terrace house. Rather than rejecting the typology for the sake of doing something different, we decided to embrace it and explore what a terrace of today might look like.
A material dialogue between the terrace house vernacular (rendered front, red brick back) and the new house plays out in a journey from public to private. At the most public interface, Gore St, is a white, rendered terrace silhouette that mimics the proportions, datums and openings of its neighbours. At the entry, the stark, white façade transitions to vibrant, red bricks - revealing an unexpected, external passage through the building's undercroft [2]. This graded journey from exterior to interior creates an intermediate space between public and private.
A hardscaped light court, vastly different in size to a typical terrace, terminates the passageway. Wrapped almost entirely in red brick, the space is conceived of as an outdoor room; large enough to fit a Japanese maple [5] and for guests to say their goodbyes. Its robust materiality and sheer, double-storey walls signify a sense of arrival, which is further enriched by a framed portion of bluestone wall. The masonry at once compliments the bluestone (a similarly hard, dense material) and necessarily contrasts it (red and modular vs. blue and irregular) – providing a nuanced dialogue that will remain in place for years to come [1].
Separation of program is achieved through an undulating floor plane - largely free of full-height walls allowing light, views and ventilation to permeate. We deliberately chose not to connect the upper levels, instead opting for two stairs which facilitate more flexible living arrangements [4]. For our client, this means separating the idea of work (study) from home (bedroom) and providing greater privacy for guests to come and stay. However, in the future, it could function as a multi-generational household or allow two couples to co-exist.
Like the interiors of late Victorian terraces, the atmosphere of the new house incorporates pattern, texture and colour. Born not from ornament but as a direct result of the structure [6]. Pattern is derived from the exposed ceiling structure, texture through the painted brick walls and stone floor, and colour through hints of red, green and blue (bricks, carpet and stone). These elements enrich the experience of interior spaces in a way that feels intrinsic, not ornamental [3]. In other words, the construction permeates the atmosphere.
The ways in which Terrace House translates past ideas into a contemporary context speaks to how we live today and what we value. It promotes reciprocal amenity (by conforming to setbacks and planning controls), passive design and flexible occupation - a repeatable model for now and into the future.
