Jackson Clements Burrows Architects salute the red brick foundations of a federation home by designing a conceptual addition with the same trusted materials.
All too often we associate heritage transformations with a long list of limitations that restrict creative opportunity. It’s something we find ourselves touching on frequently at est – which justifies our excitement when we see the old equally challenged and respected in a renovation. This match of tight controls with innovative thinking was the case for Jackson Clements Burrows Architects and their York Street Residence.
Using a quality material palette of brick, steel and timber the firm playfully reinterpreted the original red brick home, to make way for striking sight lines and distinctive geometry. As you can only expect, it’s a thoughtful take on the old, through a clever modern lens.
Produced in partnership with Brickworks.
It was a familiar story; this red brick home just wasn’t cutting it in the modern age. The loving owners wanted to bring their home closer to meeting their present demands, without detracting from its inherent old-time charm. Essentially that’s what Jackson Clements Burrows Architects set out to do, by capitalising on the existing orientation and garden, with a new addition that enjoys an abundance of light, ventilation and leafy green views. In the words of JCBA’s lead architect Rob Majcen, “the design embraced a sensitive response to the heritage context of the existing retained building and its surrounding context.”
The key ingredient to the design was Bowral Bricks Dry Pressed Face Brick in Brahman Granite, available through Brickworks. According to Rob, the client appreciate the value in this robust external cladding, which responded to the heritage context and complemented the modest material palette. Specifically, Rob said they chose Dry Pressed Face Brick “due to their inherit quality, appearance and strong lines which suit the Federation-style home”. But just as timber, concrete, stone and glass, this dependable material was used in geometric experimentation, in the perforated brick screens both inside and out. The artful masonry is what the firm describe as ‘hit-miss’ brickwork, letting sunlight shoot through seperate openings and from the highest points of the exterior into the interior.
“The design response takes the existing compartmentalised spaces and teases them apart as you enter the rear addition, a multi-faceted, multi-spatial interior which allows both connectivity and separateness.”
– Rob Majcen, JCBA lead architect
Visually, the bricks also provide a clear separation from the existing to the contemporary extension, allowing the heritage features and structure be retained. The two buildings are connected via a glazed glass link hidden behind the perforated bricks and the central courtyard. But it wasn’t just their aesthetic appeal that made these bricks a prominent material. For Rob, using quality Brickwork bricks goes beyond their aesthetic value, “ensuring its qualities around soundness, harness and structure contribute to its overall long term performance”.
The interior is a wonderful compilation of angular lines and subtle tonal textures that respond to the “hips and gables” of the existing heritage building. The focal point of the living space is the sculptural staircase, leading to a study nook that enjoys the “folding origami, timber-lined ceiling”. Instead of being separated by walls, the open plan shared spaces are delineated by a series of levels that “choreograph an engaging journey through the various components of the space”. The various heights let you imagine the multiple facets as their own individual space, linked through the textured materials to create a striking, authentic vista. It’s a tactile feast; where the rough and robust brickwork is warmed by floor-to-ceiling timber and the walls enjoy the soft and industrial touch of mineral paint.
We’ve had our eye on the Melbourne practice for quite some time now and this modern, two-storey addition affirms why. Jackson Clement Burrows Architects have brought fourth an experimental and bold extension, by staying true to the essence of this red rick abode and the materials integral to its longevity.
This project is the third in a featured series on how leading contemporary architects and design figures use bricks, in partnership with Brickworks. See the est favourites here or take a look at Brickworks on the est product library.
