Combining the Old and New - Albert Villa by Bureau Proberts

Project Feature

Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Replicating the architectural vernacular of the adjacent, Bureau Probert’s Albert Villa sees a modest cottage expand with the addition of a purpose-built pavilion to the rear, respectfully within context.

Albert Villa is a beautiful play on combining the old and new. As a response to its inner-city location in Brisbane, the original house is an important component of the unique heritage context of the area. To the front of the site, the cottage structure forms the first engagement with the street frontage, and a welcome addition to context. The renovation and new build works to both the existing and the new are a respectful response to its location, in terms of size, scale and overall approach.

As with many residential projects, a priority was to increase the liveable space, as well as increasing access to natural light while also creating and maintaining a sense of privacy throughout the dwelling. Through a combination of methodologies, from controlled openings, introduced higher-level openings and deliberate planning, this could be achieved. The resulting form sees the original cottage sit in its original location to the front of the site, with the extension to the rear, maximising the limited site.

Integral to the success of the reworking of Albert Villa is the consideration of how lifestyle affects the internal planning and oriented focus of spaces within. The connection to the landscape, and pockets of carefully curated refuge throughout are also a key component of the success of the design. The new addition is home to the living, dining, kitchen and master bedroom components. The existing cottage then houses three bedrooms and a small sitting area, maximising potential of the rigidity of the traditional four-room cottage planning arrangement.

A restrained palette sees the existing and the new highlighted by contrasting approaches to finish. Externally, the existing structure is highlighted in a strong white that does not highlight any particular period details, creating a canvas from which the new emerges. The new is then clad in a combination of black timber and metal elements, sitting behind the original and almost acting as a shadow.

With a roof and overall mass form that are a reflection of the existing built fabric of inner-city Brisbane, the project aims to echo these forms. Key to the work of Bureau Probert is the sense of the lightweight and that connection to the Queenslander lifestyle, and this ethos is strongly resembled in their approach to Albert Villa.