Helvetia | Austin Maynard Architects

At the foundation of environmental sustainability are ‘the three R’s’ - “Reduce”, “Reuse,” “Recycle”. Too often people attempt to buy their way to a sustainable solution. Solar panels, ERVs, heat pumps, grey water systems are purchased as a means to finance an escape from climate catastrophe. All of this tech is important and vital, however, no building can be truly sustainable if a functional structure was demolished in its place. The capitalist reflex, to buy our way out of the problem, simply won’t work.

In retaining the bricks, concrete and steel at Helvetia 17.7 tons of embedded carbon, equivalent to 321,970 Balloons worth of C02 omissions, were negated.

Helvetia is an examination in ‘Reuse’, and also in ego restraint. Helvetia is an exercise in making the most of what you have, before spending money on sustainability tech. Helvetia is one of the most considered, detailed and dynamic ‘before and after’ projects Austin Maynard Architects have completed so far.

THE WHAT
Helvetia is the alteration and renovation of a double storey Victorian terrace in Fitzroy, Melbourne. The residence had been separated into two dwellings in the late 1960s to operate as a boarding house and reconfigured again in the mid 1980s into a three bedroom apartment at ground level and a one-bedroom with large studio at first floor. Muddled, confused, dark and in a sad state of disrepair, the challenge was to resurrect Helvetia. In removing two rooms (above and below) from the dilapidated centre of the building and utilising the side laneway, Helvetia has been transformed into a light-filled family home, with multiple gardens, a flexible floor plan, central entryway and dramatic sunlit atrium.

THE WHERE
Right on the edge of the CBD, Fitzroy was once a low-rent suburb, gritty and urban with small workers cottages, cobbled laneways and a smattering of slightly grander double fronted homes. When the artists, in search of cheap rent, moved into the area so too did bohemian chic and steady gentrification, bringing with it a rise in desirability and property prices. Fitzroy’s history and its progression is visually evident as strict heritage overlays abut areas of minimal restrictions, creating a strange juxtaposing of sites protected adjacent to sites developed. Fitzroy retains its gritty character and within this urban environment our clients dreamt of an oasis, light filled, green and joyous.

THE BRIEF
The owners of Helvetia wanted to convert their house back into a single dwelling and to make the dark and awkward home more liveable. They asked for an environmentally sustainable home that would be practical, functional and aesthetically pleasing; filled with natural light and surrounded by well-designed green spaces and a productive garden, with strong visual connection to the outside. They asked for three modestly appointed bedrooms with built in robes “but no ensuites” and lots of creative and defined storage space to house and work on their hobbies and display their travel collections. The living/dining area would be open plan, with a galley kitchen that continued out to an external bench top with BBQ and wok burner. The owners professed a love of vertical spaces and a desire to have an inbuilt fish tank.

SMALLER FOOTPRINTS
When working on a project with a heritage overlay the standard response is to retain the frontage in accordance with policy, and demolish everything else beyond. At Helvetia we discovered some serious issues at the core, but no cracks or structural damage to the solid 1960s rear extension. Rather than allow our architectural vanity to prevail by tearing down and replacing the (albeit it uninspiring) 60s built form, and encouraged by the owners to limit the carbon footprint, we thought ‘why not use the existing brick fabric and work with the skin we’ve got?’

Like most Victorian terrace houses, Helvetia was gloomy with dark corridors and internalised rooms. The resurrection required major surgery, from the inside out. One of the rare occurrences where the client was happy to take away floor area, we removed two rooms completely and created a substantial lightwell through the centre of the house. The vertical expanse of open space introduces a flood of natural light. Fixed timber awnings control the western and northern sun and, along with the oblique steel blades of the entry gate and the light reflected off the fish pond, cast beautiful shadows throughout the afternoon.

Internally most of the dividing walls were removed to open up the areas with sliding doors and curtains to offer flexibility of use and function. All internal finishes were renewed throughout, a new concrete slab with hydronic heating was poured into the open plan living/dining/ kitchen and all exisiting windows were replaced with thermally efficient double glazing.

Upstairs the original large bay window in main bedroom, overlooking the rear garden, was retained and restored. Built in cabinetry with concealed sliding bedside tables and a hidden sliding door, forms the division between the bedroom and the walk in robe /desk area. Some inclusions were also made to the studio, already a large multifunctional space, facing north and overlooking the street. The addition of two windows let in light and provide a visual link to the rest of the house, while a curtain creates a cosy TV lounge, or extra guest bedroom when required.

AN INTERNAL OPERATION
At Helvetia we inherited a resilient building, not pretty, but structurally stable. The house however, had a problematic area in the middle; a recurring leak in the roof causing water damage, rot and mould to the upstairs bathroom and down into to the dining room below. Unlike another of our projects, Newry House, which underwent keyhole surgery (minimal invasion for maximum results), Helvetia had a tumour that needed to be cut out. Instead of a scar, we left a beauty spot, the atrium.

THE ATRIUM
The owners, both medical professionals, dreamt of an inner city “sanctuary”- a home that would exist in stark opposition to their “sterile work environment.”
Addressing one of the primary issues of a terrace house, whereby guests enter at the front of the home and have to pass by private bedrooms to reach the entertaining zone, the side laneway was utilised and the front door re-sited. The new entry creates a stark contrast between gritty cobblestones and lush garden. Step through a soaring white metal screen into a green oasis, cross a steel blade bridge over a pond streaming with fish and lilies, and arrive at the new front door, right in the centre of the house.
The size and scale of the atrium exists in the area that used to be the dining room and bathroom above - the once diseased part of the house. The two-story high steel screen precisely replicates the original external form and pitched roof line of the Victorian terrace.
The metal screen blades are strategically placed to appear solid at oblique angles and open when viewed straight on. The angled blades provide complete privacy from the main street, whilst affording passive surveillance in the laneway.

THE CENTRAL ENTRY
Having relocated the front door to the side the new central entry ensures all the circulation is condensed into one spot. Turn right for entertaining/ living, left for private bedrooms, or straight up the stairs to the studio/study and main bedroom. The staircase, formed as a sculpted piece of furniture, has been specifically designed for display and store with lower treads opening as drawers for shoes removed at the door. The volume under the stairs is maximised for larger items while the balustrade is open shelving, lining up perfectly with the steps. At the top of the stairs the landing is constructed of perforated metal to further enhance and celebrate the abundance of natural light and voluminous space afforded by the atrium. The contrast between the old entry and corridor - once dark, closed in and always requiring artificial light, is fundamentally different.

GRAPHIC.
A study conducted by Bernard E. Harcourt in the Michigan Law Review explored the social influence conception of deterrence known as ‘broken windows theory.’ - ‘A core tenet of broken windows theory is that a poorly maintained environment inspires criminal behaviour and explicitly that graffiti attracts more graffiti.’ *
The side wall at Helvetia is high and long and runs alongside a busy alleyway, constantly in use. A large, exposed expanse, in an urban side street setting, the wall was potentially a very inviting blank canvas. The approach to deterring probable defacement lay in the broken window theory. The design of the graphic is simple, clean and, ensuring the owners had enough surplus paint, easy to maintain.
The graphic has been designed to be part of the architecture, almost shadow-like, simple shapes referencing the curves and pitched roofs of the building.

AN URBAN FARM ON THE ROOF
Typically in high-density urban environments green open space is a rarity but at Helvetia we maximised all possibilities to create five gardens. From the landscaping at the front of the house, to the central atrium, the back garden, to the large balcony terrace off the main bedroom, and the sizeable vegetable garden over the carport at the rear of the block. The urban farm on the roof is practical and sculptural and brings, according to the owners “life and beauty to the heart of a very dull laneway.”
Barrel vaulted wire mesh keeps out the possums while allowing attachment for creepers and climbers. The cylindrical spiral staircase is enclosed in translucent polycarbonate to ensure the shed beneath is kept dry. In amongst all the mesh and bountiful produce it has the look of a sci-fi tube elevator.
The east facing balcony garden was existing, part of the 1960s renovation, and had held its charm. The original external staircase from balcony to back garden was replaced by a less intrusive spiral stair. Curved steel mesh covers and encloses the terrace, a framework for deciduous creepers which will soon to cover the balcony, providing privacy and shading in the summer and eastern light in the winter.

LITTLE MOMENTS OF ART
Internationally renowned product designer Dieter Rams theorised that great design was invisible. “Good design is as little design as possible,” he said: "Less but better.”
There have been many occasions, sometimes months after we finish a project, that the owner tells us they’ve noticed something, or realised how well-thought-out a certain design element is. If a function is not always required, the element should almost disappear rather than be something purely for the sake of it. Beautiful design has a calmness and serenity. Art can be creative and energetic but there comes a need for respite; for exploring nuanced layers and discovering little moments of art.
At Helvetia there are number of unassuming design elements. Quietly functioning, practical aspects that relay Dieters Ram’s view of ‘less but better.’

- The produce tray.
The productive garden at Helvetia yields in abundance, more than the owners can consume. Generous and community spirited, they wanted to share their harvest with the community. Built within the new brick wall, above the letterbox, at the front of the house is a specially designed steel tray. It sits quietly in the wall when not in use, but when rotated becomes a tray, allowing neighbours to help themselves to produce.

- The playful ladder
To access the solar panels on the roof we needed to install a ladder on the side balcony terrace. As an affordable alternative to a regular metal ladder, we using galvanised steel as sculptural, playful rungs that merge and converse with the white mesh covering.

- The structural posts
When it comes to structural posts, the norm is erect a steel frame then add a window frame next to it. At Helvetia the structural posts are arranged to become the window frames. Chocks in the timber post/window frame showcase the owner’s smaller treasures as well as add bracing to the structure. The angled timber is repeated where sliding doors have been installed:one solution or element to do multiple tasks. Using angled timber, instead of framing to synergise the overall language.

- The down pipe.
A down pipe on the side of the house created an interesting challenge. How to ensure the rainhead flows into the legal point of discharge, on a busy laneway, without being vulnerable to damage or looking unsightly. Turn it into a theatrical moment. The pipe is curved, conversing with the curves of the graphic, turning a problem into a little bit of art.

- The original columns.
So many aspects of Helvetia were saved, repaired and restored, rather than replaced, including the original columns at the front of the house. They were carefully removed and taken away to be restored and in the process the original timber was discovered. The clients wanted to retain the home’s rich history, and so the upper half of each column was left stripped to expose the beauty of the original timber.

SUSTAINABILITY
The main sustainability objectives adopted at Helvetia were the retention of existing built fabric and the opportunity for increased garden area. All existing walls, floors and roof of the Victorian house which were deemed salvageable or in good solid condition, were repaired and restored rather than demolished and rebuilt with new construction. The wastage of materials from previous iterations of the building, from the original 1880s structure, through to the 1960s and 1980s renovations, were avoided, minimising the project’s overall carbon footprint.
Five distinct garden areas were created, to encourage as much plant growth on the site as possible, including a productive garden on the roof over the carport with Biofilta Foodcube wicking bed planter boxes.
Where the condition of the external fabric was beyond salvation, it was upgraded with thermally efficient materials. All the windows were replaced with timber framed double glazing and the poor quality ground floor structure was replaced with a concrete slab for thermal mass, containing hydronic heating coils. Where new walls were installed a high degree of insulation was included and a high R value roof insulation was installed throughout.
North facing windows were installed within the atrium lightwell, to provide direct solar gain into the living area and study above. Fixed shading is installed to the northern and western glazing of the lightwell, where the existing house and new laneway screen do not provide shading from the summer sun.
In the back garden a 3,000 litre water tank is buried, to harvest water from the roof to use throughout the house for flushing toilets and watering gardens. A 3kW Photovoltaic solar system is installed on the roof with panels tilted to the east and west to provide power in the early morning and late afternoon.
Internally the home contains LED light fittings throughout, low VOC finishes and coatings and ethically sourced timber flooring and veneers.

OWNER’S STATEMENT
It took sixteen years for us to come to the late epiphany (pre-pandemic) that a forever home would be essential to maintain our wellbeing. Our pre-existing double brick, double fronted, double storey Victorian Terrace could be fittingly described as a mongrel. The front half of the house was twisting in one direction with the back half steadfastly fixed on solid foundations. A major renovation was required, rejuvenation was beckoning and we needed a sanctuary.

In the search for an architect, Austin Maynard Architects were fully aligned with our philosophy and had the track record to demonstrate talent and passion for sustainability. Their works were respectful of the past but not constrained by conformity or classical styles. There was genuineness in the sustainable philosophy of practice. Each of their houses had their own uniqueness in design cleverly incorporating the needs of their clients with an infusion fun and extraordinary aesthetics.

The outcome of our engagement with AMA speaks for itself. Our sanctuary has been created and the effect on our lives has been profound. The house has an uncanny ability to draw a passing glance back, then saturate the senses with its elements and invite exploration for delight and surprise. The connection of the inside of the house with the outside has allowed that joy to be shared with visitors, neighbours and passers-by alike. Our brief has been fulfilled in ways we have never imagined and are still discovering!

- Vaan & Hilton, owners of Helvetia.

LANDSCAPING

Chin Liew is a graduate of the London College of Garden Design and winner of the Emergent Gardens Award of Excellence at the 2022 Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show. Chin was approached to design the gardens at Helvetia after the owners saw her exceptional work ‘Moving Forces’ at the Show.

“It’s an inner city house but there is a great amount of garden for the size of the site. Everywhere you turned and looked there was a view of some aspect of garden. So it was about connecting up the spaces, using repeated planting from the front to the back gardens and the upstairs terrace, to help flow and tie the spaces together. We chose lots of layers and textures, grasses, shrubs, perennials and ground cover and a pretty limited colour palette, green and whites with just a pop of vibrant colour - oranges and pinks - throughout, to warm it up. Some of the orange plants we used were Geum coccineum ‘Cooky’, which flower in the warmer months and Kniphofia ‘Winter Cheer’, which flowers in winter. Agastache ‘Sweet Lili’ and Sanguisorba ‘Pink Tanna’ provide pink tones and the light blue of Geranium pratense ‘Cloud Nine’ balances out the orange as they are complementary colours.
In the entry we created a few different layers in the space, some plants sitting in the water, some plants going right up to the fence, to help soften the strong lines of the gate. The large round leaves of Ligularia reniformis (Tractor Seat plant) help to contrast the strong linear shapes and the tall stalks of Papyrus work to mirror the vertical lines.
On the terrace outside the main bedroom we used planters with layered planting, a few small trees (Acer palmatum) and planted bluebell creeper vines with white flowers that will grow over the structure to create a sanctuary, with cut-out windows in the frame for morning sun.

The gardens were well worked out so there were not too many challenges. I loved the experience of designing the gardens at Helvetia. They were really great clients and trusted me to create a garden for them. It’s such an enjoyable process when there is trust there and I hope they are enjoying their garden.”

Austin Maynard Architects Project Team
Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin, Ray Dinh

Completion date
Jan 2023

Total site area: 227 m2

Total floor area: 287 m2
Comprising.
Ground and first floor - 185 m2
Carport/store - 23 m2
Rooftop garden - 23 m2
Eastern terrace - 16 m2
first floor veranda - 14 m2
ground floor porch - 12 m2
Atrium - 12 m2

Builder
Weiss Builders

Landscape Design
Chin Liew

Engineer
Co-Struct

Building Surveyor
Code Compliance

Photographer
Derek Swalwell