GABLE ONE
Location
Fitzroy North, Victoria
Country
Wurundjeri
Completed
2017
Project Team
Phil Mologhney, Katrina Brizzi
Builder
Clancy Constructions
Photographer
Tatijana Plitt
Text
Stephen Crafti
Awards
2020 Victorian Architecture Awards, Shortlist
2021 BLT Built Design Awards, Winner
2021 Houses Awards, Shortlist
Media
The Local Project
Lunchbox Architect
Dwell
Grand Designs Magazine
Est Living
House & Garden
Completed in 2017, this alterations and additions project reworks a heritage home through a careful balance of removal, retention and addition. The rear of the original house was demolished, while the two front bedrooms were retained and renovated, allowing the new work to sit clearly behind the heritage fabric rather than compete with it.
The new double-storey addition and garage introduce a more generous, light-filled plan, resolving the constraints of the original house while remaining sensitive to its scale. The form responds directly to the neighbouring Victorian residences, adopting a pitched roof profile that allows the new volume to sit comfortably within the established streetscape.
Internally, the project is shaped as much by reuse as by addition. Materials salvaged from the original house were reincorporated throughout the new work, giving continuity across old and new. Timber boards were repurposed as a bedhead and side tables, while other elements reappear in the kitchen and stair, grounding the house in its own material history.
The home is highly customised to the daily lives of its owners. Bespoke details include built-in seating within the shower, dedicated storage for dog food, and integrated kennels and dog doors throughout. These moments are handled with quiet pragmatism, allowing the house to respond to its occupants without overt display.
At the upper level, a carefully designed screen addresses overlooking, limiting views into neighbouring properties while maintaining long views back toward the city. The result is a house that negotiates density and privacy with restraint, offering a calm and functional environment shaped by both context and everyday life.
