A Sign of The Times – House Lincoln by THOSE Architects

House Lincoln sees the extension of an existing brick bungalow in Sydney’s North create a new connectedness between internal spaces and the interior and back garden. THOSE Architects combines a restrained approach with an acute understanding of materiality and context to propose a home of deliberate longevity.

After the common anticipated tousle between the decision to move or improve, the engagement of THOSE Architects saw the path to the home’s reinvigoration emerge. An extension to an existing brick bungalow, House Lincoln sees the reconfiguration of the single-storey house into a multi-level home through a layered approach that responds to its steep site conditions and its owners contemporary brief. Built originally in the 1950s, the home sits as a sign of its times, when formality in residential planning was favoured over open-plan living philosophies. Through a combined application of restraint and an acute understanding of materiality, THOSE Architects proposes a home that reflects an understanding of the modern residential condition and that emphasises its future longevity.

Built by Harding & Lindsay Building, with styling by Felicity Ng, House Lincoln is located in Sydney’s north, in Lane Cove. Despite its mid-century origins and nuances, the overhaul sees a mini tower formation appear to the rear of the existing home, replacing an ill-conceived previously extension. Connecting the home inward between the many family zones was integral, as was creating a connection to the rear yard, garden and pool. Within its small footprint, the tower houses two additional bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a rumpus room downstairs and supporting laundry and guest bathroom. Creating an L-shape on site, the home opens up to its north-facing rear yard and living, kitchen and dining areas.

The new works included the restoration of the existing character and detailing of the original home, to sit alongside the new refined elements introduced. Brick combines with exposed concrete to create a robust framework from within which the home is softened through layers, while the timber flooring elements connect the old and new, adding a warmth throughout. The use of brick carries forward the element of craft embedded in the original home, connecting it to current industry and the continuation and evolution of the material. Introducing an art deco touch, the rounded corners of the brickwork offer a relief from the verticality of the tower structure and a softness to the robust and textured brickwork itself.

House Lincoln incorporates key sustainable design principles through the utilisation of thermal mass, cross-ventilation measures through openings and the deliberate orientation on site to gain and control thermal and solar elements internally. THOSE Architects has combined the old and new and breathed a new lease of life into the home’s formerly wearied bones. Through the celebration of craft and a continuation of key character elements, the flow from the existing to the proposed is effortless, while the appropriate understanding of scale allows both to exist in complementary harmony.