Textural Engagement - Laycock Road House by Telly Theodore Allied Office

Through excavating the existing site, Telly Theodore Allied Office creates a cavernous and texturally engaging internal extension space, to celebrate structure, materiality and a sense of scale in the form of Laycock Road.

Set behind its original inter-war bungalow fronted property, a bold excavation sees a generous open living, cooking and dining space carved quite literally into the existing site. Set on one of Sydney’s oldest heritage streets, the like-named Laycock Road located in Penshurst, the original home and its planning limited the client’s ability to coexist in an open and connected way. Client and builder, the founder of Calida, together with Telly Theodore Allied Office (TTAO) gallantly took on the task of the excavation, resulting in an 8.5 metre drop in floor level between the street front and the rear.

Set on one of Sydney’s oldest heritage streets, the like-named Laycock Road located in Penshurst.

With 4.7 metre high ceilings, the large open extension allows for a series of connections. Most predominantly, it connected the original home to the landscape, and also vertically through a feature stair element. Within the large space, the scale is further expressed through the use of brickwork running vertically, creating spins of dark, grey texture divided by large panels of glazing. The expression of structure and raw materiality continues through to the exposed recycled Oregon ceilings and beams, and is complete with the Andorra limestone flooring. The expressed robust tactility of this space not only celebrates the beauty in the materials, but also creates a threshold of sorts between the highly detailed original home and the natural landscape element.

Client and builder, the founder of Calida, together with Telly Theodore Allied Office (TTAO) gallantly took on the task of the excavation.

With 4.7 metre high ceilings, the large open extension allows for a series of connections.

Defying the traditional extension (where it seems a stocked brief on a small site is the common trend), Laycock Road really is about being an extension of the owners’ identity and passion. There is a combination of respectful restoration of the original and its details, which is then counterbalanced with confidence and a gesture that celebrates the craft of building as well as its limitations. The reworking of the extension as the conduit for all functions within the home meant that it also made sense for the main entry point to be relocated. Moving from the original location fronting the street to the middle of the home through a side passage, the entry experience is changed such that upon entry, one can experience the levels, entering at the mid-landing point of the stair between the volumes.

The expressed robust tactility of this space not only celebrates the beauty in the materials.

Laycock Road is based around the idea of bringing people together. Through a literal carving of the site to extend the existing and create a new gathering space, TTAO has achieved this goal on a grand scale. The altering of circulation, both through the space and on approach, and changing the experience within the volumes has significantly altered the way the home is used, providing immense amenity to its owners. A play on open and closed, and large and small, the impact of such a large gesture can now be felt through all aspects of this home.