New Within the Old: Oak House by Alexander &CO.

Alexander &Co have renovated an existing heritage commercial building within a historic harbourside area of Sydney. Originally used to house wool, the 450m2 two-storey structure has been altered internally to adapt the existing open plan commercial office space into a five-bedroom, waterfront family home.

The creative narrative was developed as a result of combining the building’s historic colonial past, with a client who was living in London during the time of design and construction. Ideas of reinstating a sense of history over the once heavily modified commercial interior and exploring a language that was part colonial and part European holiday became the thematic anchor point of the storytelling.

The family would be spread across the two levels, with the children predominantly inhabiting the lower level and the parents’ retreat located upstairs. Similarly, formal and informal living areas and balconies were connected to both levels of the home.

The building envelope is many times maintained heritage timber shiplap structure. Internal portions of the home, like the old administrative office window and internal stair, were also in original condition, as was the external ‘ghost bridge’.

All of the existing material was required to be retained due to its historic value and all new works needed to be built lightweight and reversible. Although the lower level possessed timber structures that could be exposed, by and large, the structures were inadequate for a contemporary home — uninsulated, dilapidated and irregular. This lead Alexander & Co to devise a construction strategy that could re-build a ‘new home’ within the old home. By reframing all walls and floors as a new structure separated from the old building envelope the team was able to apply new finishes and services — with the option to reverse.

Internal wall panel details, herringbone floors, oak ceilings and full height drapery hold together an envelope that is both classical and contemporary. Apparatus lighting along with Poliform robes and a Boffi Kitchen add a highly resolved suite of contemporary fixtures within the nostalgia of the building’s envelope.

“Classic finishes, like grey and black polished plaster, Carrara and Nero Marquina marble, white linen and darkened oak provide a very classic and restrained palette, one which can connect our client to Sydney’s Harbour and London simultaneously,” says the design team. The resulting Oak House sees the adaptive reuse of storage then office building into a luxury family home, perched atop the harbour.

Related: Creative Prototype: Alexander House by Alexander &Co.

[Images courtesy of Alexander &CO. Photography by Anson Smart.]