Anchored and Sculptural – Mollie by MPD Architects

Sitting in contrast to the existing timber weatherboard structure fronting the home, Mollie sees the creation of a robust and sculptural concrete addition to the rear. The project is the result of a close working relationship between MPD Architects and Newmark Construction, which ensured the intended limitations of their conceived approach could be realised with refinement.

Set in North Sydney, the lasting remnants of the original home signal back to a time when the adjacent streets were filled with similar fronted homes, navigating narrow and deep allotments, with their own rhythm and personalised nuances. As one of the few remindersin the area, Mollie is fronted by its original timber weatherboard structure from the early 1900s, which has been restored through a historically focused lens. Its addition and renovation then allow for an opening up of the home and its more formal and segregated planning, creating opportunities for an abundance of natural light to enter and fill the home. As a gesture of contrast, the addition is sculpted out of concrete and anchors the home to its site. Through close collaboration, MPD Architects achieves a holistic outcome through the early close engagement with Newmark Construction and a fluid dialogue throughout the process.

As a gesture of contrast, the addition is sculpted out of concrete and anchors the home to its site.

Together with interior design and styling by Cordony Design, Mollie is the coming together of special interest principles to ensure the result collectively captured the importance of its past, together with a contemporary sensibility. While the original timber construction sites the popularity of the style of its time, the proposal of a heavy concrete addition acts almost as a counterbalance and addresses the context and proximity to the ocean. As heritage specialists, MPD Architects restored the original home respectfully aided by a deep interest and understanding of the period, ensuring its lineage could continue. The addition then sits as a complementary element, not one that competes. Throughout, a shared tonality and intention to endure is felt in the robustness of select materiality and binds the old with the new with a sense of purpose.

As a feature of the new, the stair sits in the centre of the shared kitchen, living and dining space, as its own hero and focal point, while transparent sidings allow a visual connectedness within the space. The muted use of grey and natural textures on both levels of the addition becomes a blank canvas for the layering of furniture, artwork and lighting as both expressions of the owners, and as a means to further animate the space. Combining zinc metal sheeting cladding, glass and core concrete structural elements, the addition is deliberate in its permanence.

Together with interior design and styling by Cordony Design, Mollie is the coming together of special interest principles to ensure the result collectively captured the importance of its past, together with a contemporary sensibility.

MPD Architect’s Mollie beautifully restores an important contributor to the context of its area, and through the engagement of impassioned specialists, signals a life that is intended to stretch well beyond the present.