Check out an animation of this project here.

This impressive farmhouse was once the centerpiece of an extensive farm of fruit orchards and rural paddocks. Suburban Melbourne has since spread to encase the property and the paddocks have been subdivided into housing blocks. The farm house now sits on a modest corner block, cropped by suburbia.

The vernacular language of traditional farms, where outbuildings servicing the main homestead form extrusions which bend in response to surrounding conditions, began to inform the extension.

A majestic gum tree and solar orientation to the north start to dictate a point of focus, but sweeping views to the south also draw attention. The result is a inclination to locate the active living areas upstairs to access both vistas. This is achieved through the gymnastics of bending and returning the services extrusion back on top of itself, creating a dynamic addition to the traditional forms of the old farmhouse.