Inner urban sites are usually tough to get the functional brief to perform within the smaller dimensional constraints of tight sites. This particular project was one of those, a B-grade heritage contributory building built in 1858. We took the existing building and used the ridge of the front roof as a pitching point for a large, zinc-clad box on the rear of the house. The form of the box cantilevers four meters over an exposed steel column and beam arrangement, so it appears to float, as everything beneath it is glass and steel. A clear-to-sky plant atrium breaks the connection to the existing house. This injects wonderful light into the house as it bounces through a series of suspended plants within the space; it has become a hanging garden within.

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The interior space reflects the suspension of the box on steel. The ceiling is battened in the long direction and follows the roof shape as it merges with the stairs. The stairs themselves are also suspended. They're cantilevered from the wall, but the visual effect is that they are suspended from the steel rods that move from the ceiling of level one down to each step. Overlooking would likely be problematic in the site's context and proximity to neighbours. To get around this, we created a winter garden on the south side of the box that is lined with cedar to the walls and roof, louvres to the exterior and contains a deep Japanese onsen-style bath.

The project's success is in the simplicity of the form and connection of the older house to the new. These connections are at a material and formal level that combine to create a lovely space.

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