Kitchen, Albert Park House.

The project used charred timber made by the builder. It is an ancient method of making timber fire retardant, pest retardant, and weather resistant. We used this externally for cladding of walls and soffits and continued the soffits indoors to create the kitchen ceiling and to delineate the forms of the upper floor.

We also recycled the original shed walls that held the outside toilet as formwork for an in-situ wall that extended from the garden to the kitchen; from outside to inside. This was a way to incorporate some site ‘archaeology’ to remind users of the building’s history. The plaque to the left of the image reads:

‘This house was purchased by Kasimiersz and Lucia in 1955. They were two displaced persons who had escaped a war-torn Europe. They worked hard, found a new life and started a family. As with all of us they had successes and failures, especially in a country that was not always welcoming to foreigners. But time passed, they were accepted and they saw their lives grow and the house became a home. Their greatest achievements were their profound love for their children and the unshakable faith that all hope for the future was vested in these same children. If you are fortunate enough to live in this house I would ask that you think of those who have come before you and reflect on the love and hope that filled its rooms’.

Builder: Inquire Invent

Photo: Garth Oriander