We approach all projects with a similar ethos and that is to observe what has gone before.
Often on Heritage projects we follow the Borough Charter policy of changing as much as necessary
but as little as possible. I'm Matt Gibson from Matt Gibson Architecture and Design,
I'm the Principal of our practice and welcome to the William Tappin house.
The site resides on Wurundjeri land in South Yarra an inner suburban suburb of Melbourne.
Next door to us is another Heritage building designed by William Tappin as well and then
on the other side is a block of flats so it really is within an eclectic neighborhood.
Tappin was known for his Queen Anne buildings and he was known through Melbourne, through the
1880s and 1890s for doing many influential public buildings as well as residential architecture.
The connection between old and you was something that we wanted to sensitively
handle and it kind of drove the main positioning of the building on the site.
We've made sure that the existing building is the hero if you like, and the new building is
recessive and set back and humble with regards to its connection with the old.
In so doing, we've revealed the original brickwork, some of it being quite incredible.
We also removed the paintwork off the existing Limestone dressings,
which we actually didn't know were Limestone originally but they've been a great surprise.
A lot of William Tappin's other buildings throughout Melbourne utilize black tuckpointing
so that was applied to the front of the building and we've restored the existing veranda,
we actually consulted Roger Beeston Heritage Architects, they were able to source many photos
of the existing veranda and we were able to match that exactly and reinstate it in its original form.
The connection with the outdoors was very much a brief requirement of the clients, in this case
almost the entirety of the ground floor is open up to the exterior, you're getting a view all the
way out to the perimeter of the site and through the detailing of sliding glazing that are both
stackable and recessed into pockets, you can open up the interior completely to exterior.
The use of exposed structure was part of our interpretation of arts and crafts devices if
you like, the Arts and Crafts was a period that very much overlapped with the Queen Anne period.
There's examples within the terracotta tiles of handcrafting, they were all hand pressed so every
tile is different, in other places there are the fingerprints of the makers in the tiles showing
their handcrafted aspect. The ceiling joists have been dowed secretly and scarf jointed so
that you don't see any of the connections, this provides a beautiful warm ambience
within the room a beautiful blackbutt timber which is incredibly cocooning and comforting.
The kitchen was designed collaboratively with the client and a tone of green was
utilized which we felt connected beautifully with the brass and also with the terracotta.
The shape of the island bench plays on the shape of the new building, the stone
is a grey tundra stone which we utilise to connect in with the grey of the concrete.
Upstairs involves a main bedroom space and an ensuite and walk-in robe.
As one comes out of the old building you move over the interstitial area which is a
glass bridge that has louvers to the outside and then you move into the master bedroom, it
plays on the faceting of the external form, so it is wonderfully sculptural, the builder's
done an incredible job in crafting all the timber work over the many facets.
The bathroom is also a sculptural room that contains many of the
materials throughout the rest of the house. Views are orchestrated towards
the old building and the Boston Ivy that climbs over the existing building.
What I'm most proud of about the project is that it combines all the great things that I
would love about a residential environment, it's got history, it's got stories, it's got depth and
what I love about this house is the great flexibility, being able to view back from the
living room back to the external fireplace, being able to open up those doors and yet in winter when
it's raining and cold like we've had today, it's incredibly enveloping and enclosing and comforting.
The end product of the evolution of this creative journey is the ultimate family sanctuary.