Robinson Rd House by Chan Architecture is a rear extension to a New England style home, designed to add light, open-plan living and a stronger connection to the backyard.
The useful lesson is restraint. The project does not try to erase the existing house. It adds contemporary space while respecting the pitched roof, dormer windows and red clinker brickwork that give the original home its character.
What the extension changes
The brief was to renovate and repurpose the existing rooms and facade, then add a new open-plan kitchen, dining and living area with a master bedroom at the rear. That makes the project a good example of house extension architecture where the new work has to solve plan, light and character together.
- Northern light is brought into the main living and dining spaces.
- Full-height sliding doors blur the boundary between inside and outside.
- Steel-framed doors and windows connect new and existing details.
- Herringbone timber flooring and soft furnishings keep the interior warm rather than purely industrial.
- In-situ concrete is used for seats, a water feature and a cantilevered kitchen island bench.
Why the detail matters
Residential extensions often fail when the new part feels like an unrelated object. Here, the material decisions help the extension sit between old and new: crisp enough to feel contemporary, but not so detached that the period home loses its identity.
Project facts
- Project size: 350 m2.
- Site size: 820 m2.
- Completion: 2021.
- Building levels: 2.
- Photography: Tatjana Plitt.
Submit a residential project with the brief made clear
Residential projects are strongest when the reader can quickly understand the existing condition, the client problem and the design move that solved it.
- Explain what was retained and why.
- Show how the extension changes daily life.
- Include project facts such as size, levels, completion and photographer where available.
- Use images that prove the spatial change rather than only showing a finished room.
Next step
If your practice has a residential project with a clear design lesson, submit it to Architecture Social Showcase.
If this project has made you rethink your own portfolio or next move, browse current architecture jobs or contact Architecture Social for a recruiter’s view.
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