Robinson Architecture

The Deco apartment block was fully restored internally but the backyard was a ramshackle mess of fire stair, odd car spaces, and sheds with lots of concrete.

The brief was to infill the undercroft with a meditation studio and provide undercover car parking and a roof terrace for the first floor apartment.

Challenges were Council conditions for car movement, limiting overlooking to neighbours and how to provide privacy in the dense urban location. The puzzle came together by suspending the roof terrace over a carport area and incorporating a curved screen to echo the front facade. Steel frames contain the terrace and provide a framework for strategically located screens and curated views.

Downstairs a landscaped court provides a soothing green outlook to the meditation studio.

Client feedback, Lucy:

I love my renovation. It is beautiful to live in; makes the best of the light and everything is designed to effortlessly function well. The upstairs deck is our calm space with views of sky and greenery in the midst of the inner city.

The client's fondness for Japanese design is shown in the palette of black steel framing set against the timber battens and white stucco walls.

Privacy screens to the roof terrace are opaque plexi glass and timber battens, creating a variety of light and shadow.

A bike rack allows for secure bike store as the undercroft carparking is open to the street.

From Lucy:

Robinson Architecture were great to work with. They listened to our ideas, improved them, brought inspiration and translated it into reality. It was fun and we shared an interest in sustainable materials and longevity of design.

Rainwater tank for the lush landscaping

The curved screen echoes the Art Deco curves of the street facade