Open Gathering – Weather House by Mihaly Slocombe Architects

Inspired by a love of camping and being immersed in the outdoors, Weather House combines gestures that allow it to open generously and embrace the natural elements. Mihaly Slocombe Architects focuses on retaining the existing streetscape and extruding the home through subtleties that enhance the experience from within.

Sitting comfortably surrounded by homes of similar character and vintage within Northcote, to the north of Melbourne, Weather House is formed on the premise of restoring and elevating the existing home and overlaying an expression of its owners. Home to a family who love their time spent adventuring within the outdoors, recreating familiar feelings of gathering around a campfire and an openness with nature inspired the approach. While the original cottage form remains to the front of the site, with the rhythm of the streetscape undisturbed, the addition to the rear creates key open interior spaces that connect the within. Allowing for free-flowing connection between inside and out, visual and trafficable access to the surrounding landscape formed the approach by Mihaly Slocombe Architects.

In not competing with the original, the addition responds to a more contemporary sensibility and is streamlined in its composition, with a refined and restrained approach to detailing throughout.

The addition is conceived as a shadow of sorts, aligned to the rear as a darked metal-clad extrusion of the original silhouette of the home. In not competing with the original, the addition responds to a more contemporary sensibility and is streamlined in its composition, with a refined and restrained approach to detailing throughout. While the flow between old and new is intended to be effortless, the detailing of both eras is defined and expressed, instead of being concealed. Moving from the more formalised and separated planning of the original into the new, the home opens and welcomes gatherings of friends and family, aligning with a more contemporary style of occupation.

Maintaining that outdoor connection throughout was key. As movement is funnelled through into the new expanded living space, vistas that remind of the lush natural softening of the landscape are seen through openings in the form. Designed by Ben Saunders Landscapes, an importance was placed on creating a soft series of destinations surrounding the home, as a balance to the harder elements on site. Then, instilling a robustness into the home, polished concrete flooring run into the new spaces, allowing for layers of warmth to be created through tactility and texture introduced. Timber brings the natural connection inward, also offering a variation in finish in the process.

The addition is conceived as a shadow of sorts, aligned to the rear as a darked metal-clad extrusion of the original silhouette of the home.

While the addition embeds increased amenity throughout, Weather House draws a new focus toward gathering. Mihaly Slocombe Architects balances the connection between indoors and out through a palette of familiar and textural elements.