随着城市人口不可避免地变得越来越密集，每个人都希望占据一个我们可以称之为“家”的小角落。这座小住宅坐落在车水马龙的街道环境中，占地160平方米，毗邻墨尔本Cremorne的某重要商业区。尽管场地周边环境较为嘈杂，但本项目的业主却也十分钟情于这里的丰富与活力，因此，他们希望将此处改造为一处能够长期生活的居所。

As our cities incrementally and inevitably densify, we look to occupy the tiny nooks and crannies for a place we can call home. Located amongst the hubbub of delivery trucks, bicycles and a never ending procession of vehicle traffic; this project sits within a minute 160m2 site, backing on to a key commercial precinct within Cremorne in Melbourne. Despite the site’s context, our client loved the sheer richness and vibrance of the area so much that they set out to make this place a long term place of residence.

▼住宅外观，exterior view of the house © Tom Blachford

▼街道视角，street view © Tom Blachford

设计旨在最大限度地提高住宅的舒适性，并为住宅采用太阳能被动式设计，营造出理想的自然采光环境。而附近将建造的一栋12层建筑，却为本项目带来了不小的挑战。为了解决这个问题，建筑师与周围邻居协商了地块周围的总体规划，并达成了在场地北侧为该住宅扩建一座两层体量的协议。通过大家的共同努力，本项目业主与邻居们能够享受到的天空景观增加了一倍，并且在不需要任何物理屏障的作用下，保证了两家的隐私。

The design brief seeks to maximise comfort, solar passive design and access to natural light – made all the more challenging due to an impending twelve storey development to be constructed nearby. To resolve this, the volumes of the proposed additions was planned out in collaboration with the adjoining neighbour who at the time was granted a planning permit for a two storey extension to the north of the subject site. By working together, views to the sky were in effect doubled and mutual visual privacy for both properties was achieved without the need for physical privacy screens.

▼入口庭院，entrance yard © Tom Blachford

▼由庭院看客厅，viewing the living room from the yard © Tom Blachford

▼由客厅看入口，viewing the entrance from the living room © Tom Blachford

▼模糊的室内外界限，blurred interior and exterior boundary © Tom Blachford

设计有意避开了典型的将扩建体量置入老建筑后部的开放式平面，相反，而是将功能和空间排布在后院的周边，这种策略为室内空间与花园和景观藤架建立起丰富而流畅的连接。除了蠕虫堆肥和雨水花园外，建筑师还在紧迫的工期中为后院设置了一个2500升的雨水收集罐，以供浇灌后院中的植被。生活中所需热水由太阳能热水器提供，整个建筑中所产生的可回收能源远超当地规范的要求。

The layout is an intentional departure from the typical open plan plug-in to the back of an older house. Instead, functions and spaces straddle the perimeter of the backyard so as to create a continuous interface and connection with the garden and landscaped pergola. Complete with worm composting and a rain garden, the compact but hard working backyard is irrigated with a 2500 litre rainwater harvesting tank, provided in addition to solar boosted hot water and above and beyond code requirements.

▼厨房推拉门，sliding door in front of the kitchen © Tom Blachford

▼生活空间围绕庭院组织，living spaces are organized around the yard © Tom Blachford

▼厨房，the kitchen © Tom Blachford

▼厨房细部，details of the kitchen © Tom Blachford

扩建体量的选材考虑了Cremorne当地的建造环境，由混凝土、木材和镀锌钢等坚固耐用的材料构成。其中镀锌钢的应用，是对当地工人小屋屋顶景观的致敬，以自然和谐的方式反映出当地的历史背景。

Much like Cremorne itself the concrete, timber and galvanised steel materiality of the house is imagined as unapologetically gritty and robust. The latter of which, a natural and necessary reference to the immediate historical context of workers cottage roofscapes, seen in the local area.

▼天窗引入充足光线，skylights bring in plenty of light © Tom Blachford

▼客厅，living room © Tom Blachford

室内空间中，墙体采用了预制水泥板，内衬则采用了澳大利亚斑点胶单板，两者之间由水性非溶剂密封剂固定在一起。必要的空间中采用了少量的石膏板，例如在高大的“蛋壳”天窗内侧，其目的旨在扩散和增强入射的日光。

Inside, the walls are lined with Australian spotted gum veneer panels finished with water based non-solvent sealers and prefinished cement sheet. Plasterboard is used sparingly and only where necessary – such as the tall ‘eggshell’ skylight internal volume, intended to diffuse and amplify incoming daylight.

▼走廊，hallway © Tom Blachford

▼浴室入口，door to the bathroom © Tom Blachford

▼洗手池区，dry washing area © Tom Blachford

▼材料细部，material details © Tom Blachford

在项目的设计讨论中，业主向建筑师阐述了他们对与“休息”和“放松”的解读，并认为这两点是作为一个“家”的必要条件。为此，建筑师尽力为业主营造出能够减轻压力与焦虑的环境，让居住者能够在宁静的氛围中与自然景观和谐相处。在密集的城市中心，这样的设计需求堪称是一项不小的挑战，最终，老栗树住宅为居住者交出了一份满意的答卷。

We spoke about the idea of rest and relaxation with our clients and how important it was a home to become that place. An environment where stress and anxiety can be mitigate  and subdued, where we  can have harmony and  connect with landscape in peace and quite. This can be a real challenge  in the inner  city.

▼干湿分离的浴室，dry and wet separation bathroom © Tom Blachford

▼浴室细部，details of the bathroom © Tom Blachford