Expanded Legacy – Lane Cove House by SAHA

Addressing the issues surrounding shared occupancy and the increased pressures on density within inner cities, Lane Cove House is reactivated as an expanded family home with its addition of an upper level. SAHA utilises the original built fabric as the main musing for the new volume, adopting an evolution of materiality and palette to create a contemporary proposition to multigenerational living.

With the ground floor occupied as an independent dwelling, the reconfiguration of Lane Cove House sees a process that manages an increased housing stock availability and affordability for the family. By proposing another level, an additional residence is created on site using the existing structure as a base for the new form to sit upon. Bringing the encasing texture and robustness upward, the dual homes feel connected and as though they were constructed at the same time. Aligning with the treetops and, therefore, receiving plenty of natural light, the new level engages an increased passivity, reducing a reliance on outside energy sources.

In a unifying of past and present, there is a deliberate warmth created and overlaid across both levels, using natural materials and a familiar palette of organic texture.

SAHA adopts a contemporary take on the more traditional elements of the existing bungalow-style residence, creating an easy coexistence of generations. Each of the materials, details and junctions are conceived through a coalescence of original handmade features and modern innovation. In an effort to unify past and present, there is a deliberate warmth created and overlaid across both levels using natural materials and a familiar palette of organic textures. Internal courtyards frame picturesque vistas outward, whilst the ground floor continues to provide a home for the grandparents.

The extension of the brick perimeter also binds the various eras, aligning the increased occupancy and shared living as a central theme within the segregated, suburban setting. By peeling the existing roof back, the footprint of the home is almost doubled. With added access to northern light and dappled shading through the established tree foliage, the additional level also allows for ample crossflow ventilation. Through both screened elements and open courtyard spaces, a sense of privacy is maintained and protected, with a connection to the natural elements remaining.

By peeling the existing roof off of Bungalow form on the lower level, the footprint of the home is close to double for the younger generation above.

Inspired by an original connection to place, and a lineage created by the grandparents already living on site, Cove Lane House proposes an alternate approach to cross-generational living. Both in addressing density and affordability constraints, SAHA ensure a continued presence for the family, and their place in the surrounding community remains.