242 Hangklip

This small residential alteration to a stone cottage preserves and enhances the character and typology of the existing through subtle contemporary additions.

Set back from Hangklip Road, the single storey cottage is nestled in-between vegetation and hidden on approach from the street. A glazed walkway is added to the length of the street facing stone façade, creating new circulation in order to increase the spatial area of the living area and existing two bedrooms facing the ocean. A new master en-suite is also added at the end of the walkway. Both additions are subservient to the original cottage in presence and scale and realized as glazed steel framed pavilions that are raised off the ground and floats above the natural vegetation.

The crafted yet restrained architectural expression of the new additions supports the prominence of the massing and materiality of the original stone cottage. Spatial thresholds and material connections between old and new are considered and carefully detailed. The ceiling of the new entrance walkway hovers above the stone wall and textured cast concrete lintels are shaped in between the stone wall to announce the new bedroom door openings leading from the glazed walkway. New window openings are punched into the thick stone masonry façade and edged with a thin protruding steel reveal to define the juncture.

The shape of the original gabled roof and existing trusses of the roof are retained. In the living room and the two adjacent bedrooms, a crisp white ceiling follows the roof geometry and provides a tranquil interior from where to enjoy the uninterrupted ocean views towards the north. A limited palette of raw materials overhead and underfoot is elegant and warm to the touch and juxtaposed with timber detailing (screens, cabinetry and doors). Green marble in the bathroom and kitchen adds a touch of colour and grandeur.

The project’s sensible and sensitive approach is a delight.