Joinery Box House

Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit

JOINERY BOX HOUSE

Foomann Architects

AREA
310 m²

LOCATION
Albert Park, Australia

YEAR
2016

CATEGORY
Houses, Extension

MANUFACTURERS
DuPont, Screenwood, The City Tiler, Woca

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Jamie Sormann + Jo Foong

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
Phillip Johnson Landscapes

STYLIST
Esther Stewart

BUILDER
Fido Projects

ENGINEER
Maurice Farrugia & Associates

Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit

The extension to this inner-city heritage home is intended as a tidy, fastidious timber clad structure. An opportunity for meticulous details.

Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit

The inhabitants moved from their own homes into this new house together; consolidating their extensive art collections and large extended families. Art, furniture and objects were scheduled and located during the planning process.

The Dining Room comfortably accommodates twenty-four diners, located in a prime position facing the garden, and features an acoustically treated ceiling.

Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit

The original part of the house was respectfully upgraded and restored with a new openness that connects sitting and study areas.

A restrained palette was used throughout with slight shifts between spaces, creating a subtle transition between new and old and providing each room with its own feel and identity.

Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit

The design balances a desire for transparency and solidity that is illustrated in the execution of the stair. At the literal and figurative centre of the house, the cranked staircase is a substantial object that permits views to the north courtyard and acts as furniture facing the kitchen.

The extension features cedar cladding and straps that create a grid and detailing challenge the rest of the building responded to.

Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit
Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit

The language extended to a new facade on the existing rear two-storey studio that is the primary focus of views from the main house.

This exacting timber detailing made the project a challenging carpentry exercise that the builders were equipped to achieve.

Joinery Box House
© Willem-Dirk Du Toit


Joinery Box House
Ground Floor Plan
Joinery Box House
First Floor Plan