Regenerating a site rich in history, this vibrant new home, contained within the walls of an old stable, is part of an ongoing multigenerational project that explores alternative models for living together.
A central garden connects Stable House to the site’s existing cottage and will become a common space shared by both residences.
History weaves its way through Stable House via charming brick walls that brim with character and hint at Forest Lodge’s past. The area, a small inner-suburb of Sydney, was once home to Harold Park Paceway, a harness racing track that operated from the 1890s until 2010. Remnants of this lifetime are evident in the many surviving horse stables that are scattered throughout the area, including this one: a dilapidated brick stable built behind an 1880s worker’s cottage, which was accessed by a carriageway easement on the western edge of the site.
Stable House is a new residence contained within the walls of the former stable. It is the home of Qianyi Lim, co-director of Sibling Architecture, and her young family, and is the first stage of an ongoing project to convert the site into a multigenerational home for Qianyi’s family. This type of living is quite common in parts of Asia such as Malaysia where Qianyi’s mother, a former architect, grew up in a four-storey house, cohabiting with extended family. Stage two will extend the cottage and adapt it into a residence for Qianyi’s sister and her family. Qianyi’s mother lives nearby and will also pop in and out periodically to visit the growing families. The two houses will share a central courtyard, fostering connection between the family and maintaining views across the site to an adjacent bush reserve for the eight neighbouring terraced houses that occupy the eastern edge of the site. The bush reserve is owned by council and has been regenerated by a bushcare group. The heavily planted site provides amenity for all neighbours and the vegetation extends up to Stable House, where a native garden has been established in consultation with the bushcare group.
The site’s western edge adjoins regenerated bushland.
The new fabric has been informed by existing conditions, and respectfully preserves the structurally sound stable walls. At times, the house borrows these walls as an outer and inner skin while at other times it steps away from them, creating both an internal courtyard and shaded privacy from the neighbours. When viewed from the cottage, one half of the front facade is screened by a remnant brick wall, while the other half offers a contemporary interpretation of the bricks: delightfully vibrant orange glazed tiles, which frame the entry threshold. Over time, these tiles will become engulfed by a cascade of wonga wonga vines, supported by a playful trellis that wraps the front and side of the house and that can be glimpsed from the street.
The house is split over two levels in an adaptable layout that enables two couples to cohabit, with separate sleeping quarters, shared living spaces and room for everyone to work from home. The home office – currently on the first floor – overlooks an internal courtyard, which acts as a light well. Qianyi and her partner Ross, a designer, have always worked regularly from home and they wanted a workspace that felt connected to the day-to-day activities of the house. During one of Sydney’s COVID–19 lockdowns, Qianyi’s sister, a professional chef, lived in the house and at times ran a food service out of the home kitchen, utilizing every inch of the eight-metre-long stainless steel benchtop.
The adaptable plan prioritizes generously scaled living zones. Artwork: Jia Jia Chen.
A soaring double-height ceiling with skylight dances natural light around the interior. A hinged panel offers a charming visual connection between the main bedroom and living area, allowing supervision of little ones playing below. The interior is lined with chocolatey-hued spotted gum plywood. The rich timber is pleasantly interrupted in places by brightly coloured glazed tiles, inspired by the many tiled buildings of Asia. The internal court features a playful scalloped concrete floor slab, originally mistaken by the builder as door swings on the floor plan. Rather than introducing new openings to the stable wall at the back of the house, Qianyi has opted for skylights in the roof.
In parallel with its built work, Sibling Architecture undertakes research projects. One of these is New Agency, which examines the hurdles future generations will face in Australia in relation to how we will live. The research imagines other ways of living together, with a particular focus on the aging population. Stable House is an experiment in co-housing and offers the practice an opportunity to test an atypical model of home ownership in Australia, one that is slowly on the rise. Qianyi believes the growing interest in multigenerational living and co-housing is largely driven by immigration, the housing affordability crisis and the tendency for children to stay in the family home into early adulthood.
Stage one of this project has already accommodated evolving family dynamics and is flexible enough to change over time, providing space for more family members in future with the extension of the cottage in stage two. It is rare for an architect to have built work to inform their research and vice versa, but already this experiment is proving that exploring alternative models of living is a worthy investment.
Published online: 1 Apr 2022 Words: Chloe Naughton Images: Katherine Lu
Melbourne’s Council House 2 has achieved celebrity “green building” status in the 16 years since its completion. On a recent site visit with Rob Adams, …
Careful and concise, this addition resolves the problems of an unremarkable 1970s brick home in Brisbane, thoughtfully replanning it to support relaxed family living attuned …
A central garden connects Stable House to the site’s existing cottage and will become a common space shared by both residences.
The adaptable plan prioritizes generously scaled living zones. Artwork: Jia Jia Chen.
Vibrant blue tiles and a scalloped concrete floor add textural richness in the courtyard.
The new house navigates the space within the remnant stable walls. Artwork: Ry David Bradley.
Vestiges of the stable walls remain visible in the first-floor bathroom.
A playful trellis on the facade will allow vines to shroud the house and provide sun shading.
The site’s western edge adjoins regenerated bushland.
Site plan of Stable House by Sibling Architecture.
Floor plans of Stable House by Sibling Architecture.
Architecture Media acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land and waters of Australia.
Tell us where we should send the Latest news
Join our architecture and design community for the latest news and reviews. Be first to know.
You may also like other Architecture Media network newsletters: