A Bold Response – Strong Arm House by MCK Architects

A reconfiguration and extension a modest bungalow, MCK Architects’ Strong Arm House is a bold response to a demanding brief, creating a home for a busy family of seven who requested a flexible and practical home to suit their evolving needs.

The house embraces the constraints of its site. From the street, the architects were faced with a typical, modest, traditional Melburnian Edwardian bungalow. With the underlying philosophy of relative modesty, the new form is setback, maintaining the traditional frontage to the street. In a dense urban setting where heritage takes respectful precedence, natural light, privacy and accommodation are newly and delicately inserted within and beyond the bungalow.

A contemporary addition, the new extension creates a sense of place for the young family – providing space to eat, play and rest, a home to share years of moments with their nearest and dearest, and to have peace of mind or solitude when needed.

Embracing the opportunity to open the home up and create a contemporary flow enabled the interior spaces to connect to the exterior over different levels. Moving towards the rear of the existing home, one anticipates something greater through glimpses of the dynamic interplay of punched light slots and sculptural floating forms creating dialogue with the existing dwelling.

MCK Architects’ Strong Arm House is a bold response to a demanding brief.

There is play on the contrast between old and new throughout; traces of the bungalow including the front rooms are retained and a contemporary sequence of spaces are built inside, around, underneath, adjacent to and beyond the existing elements. Engagement with each existing layer of the original house creates a dialogue with a robust palate of materials and forms. Upstairs, the repeated motif of an enfolding black timber screen provides continuity and privacy to the children’s bedroom wing. A modern interpretation of the workmanship seen in the ornamentation of traditional houses, the resulting interplay of light and shadow throughout the day elevates these spaces.

The combined kitchen, living and dining space in the bosom of a generous void provide a meeting place for a busy family to gather at the end of the day and reflect. The space is an exploration in dismantling the typical extension and plays with negative space as primary space. Simple planning combined with a robust material palette throughout ensure continuity between the old and the new and form a backdrop to the colour of family life. A close working relationship with the structural engineers to coordinate the crucial post tensioned beam enabled the seamless interconnection with the outdoors that was integral to the design.

Embracing the opportunity to open the home up and create a contemporary flow enabled the interior spaces to connect to the exterior over different levels.

Enduring materials were selected to keep the house as low maintenance as possible. Thermal mass and passive design techniques were implemented to reduce reliance on air-conditioning. The placement of the pool almost literally within the living room serves as a natural air conditioner when the doors are stacked back and breezes travel across its surface.

An enthusiastic architect, client and builder relationship ensured that the final outcome resulted in a home that will grow with the family for many years to come.

An enthusiastic architect, client and builder relationship ensured that the final outcome resulted in a home that will grow with the family for many years to come.