The Chalet

This heritage listed house was erected in 1854 as one of 4 identical timber cottages that were pre-fabricated in Germany and shipped out to Australia. The project is based on a two part design strategy. This involves restoration of The Chalet and the design of a new contemporary addition to the rear. The addition coils around a private north-facing courtyard from the late Victorian section of the existing house. On the ground floor, the courtyard is shaped by new bedrooms and a family room over which sits a master bedroom. The form of the roof helps to contain a 2 storey volume under a single faceted surface that lifts up, twists and narrows into a new connection inserted into the roof of the existing house. The materials that separately define the existing house are combined and inverted into a single form: rendered masonry on the interior and timber cladding on the exterior.