Shou Sugi Ban House

This renovation and addition to a character home is located in Claremont, Western Australia.

A key driver of the design was the retention of a much loved, large mature tree in the backyard of the original home. And it worked well. We removed an existing pool to accommodate the extension on the west side of the block. Morning sun comes into the downstairs living space through the generous openings to the east, screened by the beautiful tree. While the upstairs bedrooms located in the addition sit within the tree canopy. There are no openings to the west, reducing solar heat gain in hot Perth summers.

Modifications to the original home were kept to a minimum. But one important move was to add a window in the entrance to connect the house to the garden. Despite the beautiful backyard and leafy suburb, the original house was completely cut off from the garden. Now you can see the backyard the moment you step inside the front door.

The design is sensitive to its neighbourhood - with only a hint of the new build visible from the street. This helps to preserve the established neighbourhood character of the suburb in which the home is located.

The rear elevation is contemporary, and provides a definite contrast to the original house, but doesn't feel out of place. It's particularly rewarding to see the new addition in a beautiful established garden - with the existing tree dominating the site, rather than the built form. This is evident in the photos, where the addition can only be seen from angles.

The clients are both design savvy and they were instrumental in the collaborative design process. This is the third renovation and addition to a character home they have undertaken.

They engaged landscape designer Robert Finnie of Robert Finnie Design as soon as the house went into DA, and this was an integral part of the project. Together with landscape contractor, Mark Morrison of Empire Landscapes, everyone worked to ensure existing trees and landscape were protected and a strong connection between inside and out was created.

When it came to interiors, the clients worked closely with interior designer Suzanne Marinoni of IDC Design to make their vision a reality. While there is a contrast between the original and the new, the interiors flow seamlessly.

Why “Shou Sugi Ban House”? The house is named after the beautiful charred timber cladding on the addition to the home.

Also known as Yakisugi or Japanese burnt timber cladding, Shou Sugi Ban is a traditional Japanese method of charring timber with fire. The process results in a black carbon layer on the timber boards which protects the material and reduces its maintenance requirements. It brings an elegant, timeless aesthetic to the project.

This selection was 100% client driven - they researched the material and brought it into the design. And I am so glad they did.

Photos by Dion Robeson.