Mitchelton Backyard Room

MITCHELTON BACKYARD ROOM | BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA | Status: Complete | Structural Engineering: GDS Consulting Engineers | Credits: Photography by Mark Nilon

The Mitchelton Backyard Room is as much about conserving the existing workers’ cottage front as it is about embracing and inviting in the backyard.  The project involved the conversion of a poorly renovated workers’ cottage into a four-bedroom family home with a modern extension.  The new living spaces are arranged on a stepped floor plan that directly connect the existing house to the backyard, a key brief requirement for the family. Conceived as a linear sequence of spaces, the front of the house contains the bedrooms and bathrooms, then steps down to the living spaces, culminating at the rear decks that embrace the backyard. Carefully positioned openings and fenestration direct views out and away from neighbouring dwellings, whilst inviting light and the prevailing breezes in. The house was constructed by the architect supported by friends and family.