The Mills House in Melbourne by Austin Maynard Architects.

'Mills' The Toy Management House by Austin Maynard Architects | Yellowtrace

Austin Maynard Architects, previously known as Andrew Maynard Architects, have completed the renovation and extension of a single storey weatherboard terrace in Melbourne. The home’s existing façade and front two rooms are maintained, while a large lightwell separates the original structure from the new build. The project includes two additional bedrooms and a bathroom above an open kitchen, living, and dining space. Referred to by the architects as ‘Mills’, the dwelling is articulated around two core ideas – the floor is a giant toy box for the client’s young children; and the rear elevation filters the strong sunlight that had previously dominated the backyard.

Given that everyone wants an abundance of storage, and traditional terrace homes are approximately only 6 metres wide, the architects posed the following series of questions: “What if we didn’t have wall cupboards? We’d get almost 1 metre of space back into the width of our terraces. What if our storage space was within our floor? Floor space is often left to the mice and spiders. Let’s convert the floor into storage space and make the living area as big as possible without lining the walls with bulky cupboards.”

Perforated metal has been used externally to control and filter direct sunlight. Internally, the same material was applied to the new stair which has been designed to feel “light like lace”. Perforated steel sheet is folded allowing light to be shared while also enabling conversations from one level to the other. Openings and windows have been designed to optimise passive solar gain, thereby reducing demands on mechanical heating and cooling.