Social and Open – Toowong Residence by Kin Architects

Inspired by a desire to improve connections and create a shared openness, Toowong Residence is founded on a celebration of togetherness. Kin Architects preserves the initial home and its elevated post-war style while making impacting design moves that expand the overall liveability and social nature of how it functions.

As an expansion and renovation effort, Toowong Residence sees the opening up of the original home while preserving its heritage origins, with the new works building around and under the existing. Elevated, the original post-war timber clad home remains in place, and the new additions on the lower level and to the rear create opportunities for an expanded social sense of community. The overall site becomes animated in the relocating of the key living areas to the ground level, allowing a free flow of movement between inside and out through connections between the interior of the home and the surrounding landscape. Kin Architects focuses on a series of restrained but impactful design decisions that allow the old and new to cohesively exist, while using the site to its potential.

In creating a sense of belonging and place, the focus is turned inward to build on foundations of familiarity and forge opportunities for play and work within the home, as well as positive social engagement.

With a focus on wellbeing and improving the overall quality of life within the home, Toowong Residence, built by Pagewood Projects, expands on its connection to its laneway community. In creating a sense of belonging and place, the focus is turned inward to build on foundations of familiarity and forge opportunities for play and work within the home, as well as positive social engagement. With access to the laneway, the landscape area becomes an extension of that social space, able to be shared beyond the traditional boundaries of the home. Across its 400-square metre site site, the garden has been prioritised for its inherent value to family life, while also becoming its own public community space at the same time.

Internally, a warmth is felt through the extensive use of timber on multiple planes, which is then balanced by the use of polished concrete flooring, painted plaster, playful terrazzo and colourful ceramic tiles. The personalities of the home’s occupants are seen and felt throughout, while a newfound connection to light and between areas within the home breathes a new life. The new open living and dining spaces open to dedicated outdoor dining and play spaces, allowing for the overall living areas to extend to the site edge. Internally and within the heritage areas of the home, a replanning and reconfiguring of the floor plan see the grouping of function, passive and more active areas.

Internally, a warmth is felt through the extensive use of timber on multiple planes, which is then balanced by the use of polished concrete flooring, painted plaster, playful terrazzo and colourful ceramic tiles.

Kin Architect’s Toowong Residence sees the framing of views outward and a literal grounding of the home to its surrounds, creating a considered balance between open and closed, old and new.