Our client inherited a set of six identical 1960’s flats in Blackburn, a coveted middle ring suburb. Through investigating the development potential of the site it was decided that renovation of the existing dwellings would yield the best results.
Project Name: Salisbury Townhouses
Studio Name: NTF Architecture
Completion date: 2019
Building levels: 2
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Photography: Dave Kulesza

Our challenge was to provide an articulated outcome that would sit comfortably in a very suburban context. For us, texture and colour became important devices.

The existing brickwork was bagged and painted, with the new first floor clad in timber. Black windows and screens provide linking elements between the ground and first floor to tie these old and new elements together.

One of the most important considerations of the project is that it is an alteration project – an addition to existing dwellings. It became important to reuse as much as possible; then adding the upper floor whilst positioning that in a sensitive landscape that adhered to the suburban overlay.