Pergola Extension transforms Victorian Melbourne home
Pergola Extension by Krisna Cheung Architects offers a contemporary touch to a Victorian Melbourne property, infusing it with sustainability and generosity of space
![Home rooftop extension in melbourne](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LFiqhHvsYj3exCNxTLmdz4-415-80.jpeg)
Part of a Victorian inner city Melbourne property, Pergola Extension by Krisna Cheung Architects is a project that aims to reimagine an existing, historic home and transform it into a dwelling fit for its purpose – a generous, domestic hub for a local family. Taking its cues from the existing house's translucent polycarbonate rear garage façade, the architecture team, headed by principal Ray Cheung, worked towards incorporating the polycarbonate sheeting into the roof and ceiling of the living and kitchen area, opening up the composition towards the rear garden, while forming a pergola – the element that lends the residence its name.
The material and contemporary shapes and nature of the pergola structure clearly highlight the extension as a contemporary addition. Inside, an open plan, created by relocating the existing kitchen and opening up the interior into a flowing living and dining space without corridors or partitions to break up its continuity, feels generous and at one with the planted spaces outside.
The changes implemented by Cheung were not merely aesthetic. ‘Victorian houses in inner-city Melbourne lack habitability and quality of the environment as they aren’t well considered in terms of heating, cooling, or daylighting,' says Cheung. ‘The design interventions drastically improve natural ventilation and daylighting, thus reducing overall energy consumption alongside providing a healthy environment.'
Sustainable strategies also include an acoustically and thermally well-insulated polycarbonate roof and ceiling, natural ventilation and the reuse of bricks and timber flooring from the old house (the rear façade bricks were used for the garden's landscaping, for instance).
Pergola Extension's creator, Krisna Cheung Architects, is no stranger to working with awkward urban sites and creative inner-city building solutions. Earlier work, such as Colour Shingle House in North Melbourne, treats an existing property with similar flair and creativity. The studio's work keeps a relatively low profile – and often is the result of a modest budget – while achieving maximum impact through spatial generosity and optimising functionality and personality in the final design.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Proclamation House is a hempcrete urban sculpture nestled under peppermint trees
Built from hempcrete and stone, Proclamation House, a sculpturally angular build in Perth, Western Australia, carves out an intriguing niche on a quiet suburban street
By Carli Philips Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sun-drenched Los Angeles houses: modernism to minimalism
From modernist residences to riveting renovations and new-build contemporary homes, we tour some of the finest Los Angeles houses under the Californian sun
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Behind the timber façade of a Byron Bay house in Australia
Son Studio designed this Byron Bay house as an honest exterior for a light-filled Australian retreat
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
South Yarra House makes a sculptural statement in Melbourne
South Yarra House by Pandolfini Architects explores the interplay of compression and expansion through a series of surprising sculptural objects in Australia
By Grace Bernard Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Burnt Earth Beach House is an experimental retreat crafted in terracotta
The experimental Australian Burnt Earth Beach House by John Wardle breaks new ground in material composition, using baked earth for warmth, texture and tonality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Lavender Bay house opens towards the water, overlooking Sydney harbour
Lavender Bay house by Tobias Partners is an expansive family home overlooking Sydney harbour
By Ellie Stathaki Published