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rubber house – experimental design 

The subject site in Fitzroy North contains a two‑storey brick Victorian terrace. The building was substantially renovated in 1973, along with a ground‑floor rear extension. At that time, the house was used as a display home by the local authority to showcase what was possible — encouraging reuse of old inner‑city building fabric when Victorian terraces were not in demand.

The existing mono‑pitched, sawtooth‑roof extension was well designed and provided a sound basis for further renovation. However, the building had become worn and the owners required upgraded facilities and more space. The area displayed a diverse, eclectic mix of building styles and personalities — a variety that served as inspiration. To create more space, a second sawtooth‑roof structure was added to complement the 1970s works, using a straightforward and honest design approach.

The new work is clad in butynol (rubber) to create a simple, homogeneous structure that integrates in a contemporary way with the existing house. The design openly displays the three distinct building eras — combining them into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.