SRG House, designed by Fox Johnston, has been revitalised by the practice for contemporary family living. A heritage-listed semi-detached home, the house has been refreshed in line with heritage-listing guidelines, with architect Conrad Johnston creating more space within the floorplan and increasing connection to landscape and place.
The house, built in 1972, shares a heritage listing with its sister home. It also shares a steep waterfront site that looks across the Parramatta River towards Iron Cover to the south and Birkenhead Point to the west. The two homes, both SRG House and the other semi-detached, were owned by Melbourne architect Sir Roy Grounds and his son Marr, who is an architect, university lecturer and sculptor. Fox Johnston states that Stuart Whitelaw was asked by the senior Grounds to design and oversee the construction of the homes, with Marr residing within no. 6 and Roy using no. 8 as his occasional residence (SRG House).
The home is built at a 45 degree angle to the street it sits upon, zig-zagging along the south boundaries in order to avoid trees and sandstone. The home’s three-story concrete pillar and slab has been infilled with floor-to-ceiling fixed glass, confirming its contemporary touch up. The home’s windows and timber cladding were unfortunately beyond repair or reuse, with the practice forced to replace the features.
Moving inside, the original interior had been repainted by the previous owner who saw much of the original materials and character concealed. The home had windows to the south and west facades that didn’t open, with an uninsulated flat roof, that resulted in uncomfortable heat in summer and heat loss in the winter, with a commercial-scale air conditioning unit relied on to bring relief from the home’s poor ventilation.
“The original grid set up a powerful rhythm. How we unlocked the design is by interweaving old and new,” says architect Conrad Johnston.
“Working within that original geometry, we applied a softer edge in the form of curves. It’s more overt in the new apartment / garage building, and less obvious in the main house.”
After restoring the superstructure and remodelling the floorplan to ensure the home connects to its landscape, Johnston looked to provide multi-generational accommodation within the home for the occupants and its family members, with the rigid edges of the home’s geometry softened.
The interior now includes significant openings in the original glazing grid to allow increased air circulation, with all glass upgraded to a high performance rating. All facades are upgraded with high R-value insulation and the lower-ground level’s new concrete slab includes hydronic heating. The new self-contained studio has a green roof, high-performance glass and strategically located windows for natural light and air flow.
Opening the home up to ensure it doesn’t rely on artificial heating and cooling, Fox Johnston have transformed SRG House into a contemporary marvel that ensures it remains true to its heritage listing. SRG House is now a home worthy of its address and surroundings, giving the owner the ability to open up the home and connect with the first rate views and landscape on offer.
