Lachlan Seegers Architect: A previously derelict garden forms the singular focal point of this heritage listed terrace house. A transparent room was submerged into a new garden and cast in black to form an abstract silhouette against the landscape. The sky was then allowed in via an opening carved into its canopy.
Completed in February 1914, the existing sandstone terrace house is one of seven heritage listed Federation Queen Anne pairs that form an ensemble of considerable unity. The terraces are elevated and connected to the street via an unusual sandstone staircase on axis with the main hall of the house.
The rear, south-facing elevations of the terrace row have been modified over time to form an inconsistent tapestry of accumulated mess. The addition of the garden room was conceived as a counterpoint to this chaos. Black concrete, steel and glass were used to develop an atmosphere of tranquillity against the new garden that will establish over time.
A threshold linking the interior and the exterior was assembled using plate steel to provide a sharpness against the vegetation. The significant depth of the steel acts as a potent spatial transition from inside to outside. The threshold is further articulated by the operable sliding glass windows that allow the fragrances from the waist-height garden to penetrate the room and act as a foreground to the in situ concrete bench seat.
The presence of the sky and passing clouds through the glass roof brings a sense of expansion whilst intensifying an awareness of nature.
