Sol House is a celebration of Australian heritage and contemporary architecture all in one. It is the product of a fundamental commitment to sustainability, enabling the liveability of the original Californian Bungalow to skyrocket while preserving and showcasing its historical roots, complemented by a contemporary addition.

The form of the rear addition and the manner of its sympathetic integration with the original brick dwelling improves the existing streetscape. Set behind the main body of the existing house, the new addition is linked through a ‘bridging’ element between the Interwar Californian Bungalow and the new wing. The selected colour palette integrates the contemporary addition with the original dwelling; white, light grey and cream finishes to the addition’s external elements relate to the painted features of the original dwelling, while the material palette provides a distinction between old and new.

While the original street frontage is retained, the interior layout is reconfigured to enable a more efficient and logical use of space, helping to further the home’s thermal performance and comfort along with the premium new addition. Sol House incorporates both traditional and contemporary technological sustainability principles, including cross ventilation, thermal mass, sunlight access and control, and the use of sustainable and thermally efficient building materials. The project title ‘Sol’, meaning ‘sun’ in Swedish, references the design ethos in its fundamental integration of solar-passive strategies and its Scandinavian inspired interiors. The outcome is a site-responsive, high quality family home, offering a contemporary urban oasis surrounded by lush greenery.

Sol House sets a prime example of what the contemporary suburban Australian home could look and feel like; housing of heritage significance sensitively transformed to pay homage to its history while exceeding sustainable practice norms in order to accommodate the contemporary needs of our people and planet.

Photography by Nick Bowers.