A collection of small gardens designed to “encourage play and motion” breaks up Hopscotch Home, a cottage in Brisbane with an extension by native studio John Ellway.
Located on a low-rise property within the suburb of Woolloongabba, the mission leaves the unique constructing and its relationship to the road largely untouched, as a substitute extending backwards to fill the positioning.
“When extending a home on this metropolis, the prevailing timber construction is mostly lifted into the air and built-in underneath – it’s low-cost and fast, however destroys the streetscape of the final 100 years,” the studio’s founder John Ellway instructed Dezeen.
“The mission engages with the road and neighbourhood relatively than turning its again,” he continued.
John Ellway organized Hopscotch Home’s residing areas round 5 gardens, which it mentioned is hoped to “encourage play and motion”.
Each has been given its personal character, from a “neighbourhood backyard” on the entrance of the house to encourage interplay with the road, to a extra intimate “safe courtyard” neglected by the residing areas in the back of the positioning.
“The 5 gardens give every adjoining room a side to seize solar, breeze, and light-weight,” defined Ellway. “Partitions, roofs and openings are assembled as a repeating kit-of-parts designed to mediate climate by the yr,” he continued.
“Wall-sized openings of stable shutters handle airflow and rain,” Ellway added.
Entry to the house has been moved to its japanese facet. Right here, an entrance backyard leads right into a brick-paved hall that types a “backbone” that runs the size of the home.
Bedrooms and extra personal areas occupy the unique footprint of the cottage, whereas new residing, eating and lounge areas have been created within the stepped, checkerboard-like plan of the rear extension.
“A brick flooring extends by the addition stepping to hyperlink the marginally elevated timber cottage again to the backyard, and out into the eating courtyard,” defined Ellway.
“This central hallway permits diagonal views between residing areas and units up a circulation backbone between previous and new,” he added.
Materially, the palette of Hopscotch Home is saved uncovered and uncooked, supposed to make the extension really feel extra like an exterior area.
Corrugated metallic clads exterior partitions, coated in a layer of metallic mesh with vines to each soften the house’s look and supply an extra layer of climate safety.
Hopscotch Home was just lately longlisted in the home extension class of Dezeen Awards 2023.
Different Australian homes just lately featured on Dezeen embrace a Sydney residence with a “playful and textured” facade and a “personal oasis” in Melbourne.
The images is by Toby Scott.
