Renovation

A House is a renovation of a wooden house that had become an unauthorised structure due to r repeated extensions and alterations since it was constructed 100 years ago. The processes to bring this house back into compliance with the current building regulations and reapply for planning permission involved 1) removing the unauthorised extensions, 2) constructing a new foundation inside the existing structure for seismic reinforcement, and 3) applying fire-resistant wall cladding. The renovation of A House can be used as a case study to explore the possibilities for other wooden structures with similar conditions.

Situated lakeside just north of Geneva, the Bellevue Villa, originally constructed in the 80s, and its 19th century annex, were in dire need of renovation. The transformation’s main focus reviewed energy consumption and offers adjustments that reintegrate the home into the unique landscape bordering the Leman Lake.

The former Assembleia da Granja occupies an entire block in the centre of Praia da Granja. Built in the late 19th century, it emerged from the summer life of the time and became a reference point in the social landscape of the place. Figures such as King Carlos I, Queen Amélia, Eça de Queirós, Camilo Castelo Branco, and Sophia de Mello Breyner were regular visitors. Ramalho Ortigão called the Granja “the most glorious, the freshest, the cleanest of Portugal’s seaside resorts”.

This project is the renovation of a traditional house located in Iwakura, in the northern part of Kyoto City. Although its exact origin is unclear, it is presumed to be a farmhouse built in the Meiji period. According to archival research, the building conforms to the typology of the “Iwakura-type minka (folk house).” This regional house type is characterized by a linear doma (earthen-floored passage) running north–south, with rooms arranged alongside it, and by a robust timber beam structure. The building is therefore considered to date from the late Edo to the Meiji period. Further investigation, including registry records and architectural surveys, revealed that extensions and alterations were carried out in the 1970s.

House in the City is a considered reworking of a crumbling Federation villa in inner-city Adelaide. Designed for a couple retiring from the country, the project preserves the formal front rooms of the original house while introducing a refined, contemporary pavilion at the rear.