Fine steel and pivot-glass doors create a light-as-air garden room in this heritage property.
When architect Georgia Peacocke, of Edwards White Architects, designed a garden room to enhance this century-old residence, it was a site she knew well, as it was her childhood family home. With a now empty nest, her parents decided to make better use of the lush landscape, and who better to engage to oversee this architectural addition than their own daughter.
Why add a garden room? On a 2858m2 section, this oasis in the middle of Hamilton was missing that crucial sheltered outdoor living space. The existing home was relatively internal, with a series of zones that lacked connection to the surrounds. A concrete patio already in place was unused but had great potential. This garden room enhances the functionality of the house and provides a comfortable, versatile environment that embraces the alfresco lifestyle, and respects the original home, drawing on traditional glasshouses and conservatories.
Which environmental factors did you respond to? The project emphasises sustainability by extending the usefulness of the existing house, minimising the need for new construction and encouraging adaptive reuse. The adaptability of the space to open and close, and provide shelter from changing conditions, ensures maximum use, irrespective of the weather, which enhances comfort across multiple seasons. The project’s adaptability ensures future resilience to climate change, promoting a sustainable and enduring contribution to the site. We also sourced recycled bricks for the chimney to address sustainability considerations by conserving resources and promoting a circular economy in construction practices.
Talk us through the material selection… It was important to tie into the existing fabric by finding a near-perfect match to the recycled brick on the chimney. We also matched the existing terracotta roof tiles, down to the same roof detailing and flashings as the entry pergola. We used fine steel joinery and glazing to emphasise being immersed in the garden, with a floating roof above. Custom steel and glass-pivot doors, designed to block westerly winds, allow a breeze when open. A glass skylight draws natural light deep into the dining and kitchen, and provides a separation, identifying old from new.
What were some key decisions around merging indoor/outdoor living? Typically, alfresco spaces that are used most often run directly off the kitchen. We could have designed this space with a view of the river to the west, but I just know it would not get used as much as this does.
What do you enjoy about renovation work such as this? Leveraging off existing fabric can prompt a more enriching architecture. In some ways, doing this can achieve qualities of space you’d never be able to replicate. I especially enjoy these beautiful heritage buildings that I haven’t had the opportunity to work with often, but have grown up in. It feels like home.
What do people need to think about when it comes to outdoor rooms? Integration with existing architecture. Here, for some, the obvious solution may have been a modern pavilion on the side. But to achieve something with the same intimate spatial context as the existing makes it feel of its place.
What’s the best part of completing a project like this? Seeing my parents enjoy this space is the biggest reward: Monday nights after tennis, Dad and the boys having a beer; mornings filled with sun and cups of coffee; Fridays having a wine; and barbecues by the fire in the middle of winter… The doors that separate the spaces are, in fact, left open most of the time, letting the house breathe into this transitional space. It has completely transformed the way my parents use the home.
Interview Alice Lines
Photography Simon Wilson