Divided Yet Congruent – Divided House by JCB Architects

A home of contracting and expanding potential, Divided House stories the site’s past and present, captured by Australian contemporary artist Ian Strange. JCB Architects crafts an engaged replacement to the existing house in the form of two separate homes that interact with their individual streetscapes accordingly.

Often the history of a previous home is integrated into the new or enhanced by way of improvement as the most appropriate fit. In the case of Divided House, and in response to its non-contributing heritage listing, the home’s existing life was captured as part of a live exhibition by Australian contemporary artist Ian Strange, with the resulting image becoming the lasting memory of the home’s history. After time living within the previous home and so becoming familiar with the intimacies of the site, a full understanding of the environmental contributing factors were able to be integrated into the new. Home to JCB Architects’ Director Jon Clements and his family, the resulting series of spaces are a culminated expression of the past, carried forward into the future.

Although designed to be subdivided, the current condition of the home allows for the growing family to occupy the entirety of the site and allow for the intended subdivision in the future.

Built by BD Projects, with landscape by Tim Nicholas Landscape Architects, Divided House was devised as a home that could accommodate both its adult and teenage residents and allow for expansion as needed. The home is imagined allowing breathing room internally, as the built elements engage with the natural. Although designed to be subdivided, the current condition of the home allows for the growing family to occupy the entirety of the site and allow for the intended subdivision in the future. The approach to landscaping captures an indigenous and native planting schedule to reflect original occupation, and the more exotic and Mediterranean species are a reflection of the post-war immigration of the area, capturing the previous owner’s presence on site.

Located in Melbourne’s Richmond, the home stretches from site edge to site edge. As both formal masses intersect with their respective streetscapes, their responses shift in accordance with the surrounding proportions and heritage considerations. While comfort and functionality of the home is key, so too is the integration amongst context and a respectful capture of the past. The divided nature of the home allows for the children and parents to occupy either end, with a connecting lean-to structure that acts as a nod to the nostalgic additions to heritage homes over the years.

A time-wearing palette injected with saturated colour adds an element of the unexpected while also animating the home in a non-residential manner.

As an innately collaborative process, Divided House showcases the results of a non-conventional and considered approach. JCB Architects has created a uniquely individual response while meaningfully integrating the past.