Tietz House | Design King Company

The second stage of our Blackheath project is now largely complete. After the completion of the Studio some time ago, this remaking of the existing house makes sense of the site and context and the relationship between the two buildings.

From the street, the rebuilt house with its new attached entry pavilion and the studio sit comfortably in the streetscape of the historic village of Blackheath, mediating the scale of the neighbours and speaking to the rural and straightforward materiality of the area.

They also frame the space between the buildings forming a protective courtyard and significant views to the distant Kanimbla Valley and escarpment beyond. This sharing and framing of view play a significant part in informing the composition and organisation of design and space between the buildings. The hardwood timber cladding, cementitious panels and metal roofs help connect the various elements and provide a robust finish in what can be a hostile environment exposed to severe weather at 1100 meters altitude.

Once inside the house DKC worked where possible with existing walls and openings to connect the house to the extended and foreground views and to the natural light and sun. Double glazed and thermally broken windows and doors and hydronic floor heating keep the space warm in the sometimes very cold winter season.

There is always a sense of connection between spaces, and the materiality lends the interior a simple but warm finish where some timber and plenty of natural light ensure that is welcoming and domestic in feel.

The builders Greenscape worked patiently and carefully with the existing building and although it may have been easier to knock it down and start again, the methodology as ensured a unique outcome very much in keeping with the context.