Villa Leichhardt

Inspired by the humanist modernism of Alvar Aalto, the project features brick, and black-stained and natural timbers. A black paint finish to the existing house visually connects the old and new building vocabularies. A new flat roof hangs over both the new extension and a preserved wall of the original house, separated by a high-level band of frameless glazing. The design strategy of the new building to the rear continues into the existing interior, with a progressively lighter touch as it moves towards the front of the building. Brick paving to the garden continues into the interior, blurring the threshold between inside and out. The bathroom is articulated as a pod sitting inside the building, a glazed ceiling panel bringing borrowed natural light into the shower area. The scheme creates a framed view of the original interior, presenting its pressed tin ceilings and walls as a found object.