Part of a Victorian inner city Melbourne property, Pergola Extension by Krisna Cheung Architects is a project that aims to reimagine an existing, historic home and transform it into a dwelling fit for its purpose – a generous, domestic hub for a local family. Taking its cues from the existing house's translucent polycarbonate rear garage façade, the architecture team, headed by principal Ray Cheung, worked towards incorporating the polycarbonate sheeting into the roof and ceiling of the living and kitchen area, opening up the composition towards the rear garden, while forming a pergola – the element that lends the residence its name.
The material and contemporary shapes and nature of the pergola structure clearly highlight the extension as a contemporary addition. Inside, an open plan, created by relocating the existing kitchen and opening up the interior into a flowing living and dining space without corridors or partitions to break up its continuity, feels generous and at one with the planted spaces outside.
The changes implemented by Cheung were not merely aesthetic. ‘Victorian houses in inner-city Melbourne lack habitability and quality of the environment as they aren’t well considered in terms of heating, cooling, or daylighting,' says Cheung. ‘The design interventions drastically improve natural ventilation and daylighting, thus reducing overall energy consumption alongside providing a healthy environment.'
Sustainable strategies also include an acoustically and thermally well-insulated polycarbonate roof and ceiling, natural ventilation and the reuse of bricks and timber flooring from the old house (the rear façade bricks were used for the garden's landscaping, for instance).
Pergola Extension's creator, Krisna Cheung Architects, is no stranger to working with awkward urban sites and creative inner-city building solutions. Earlier work, such as Colour Shingle House in North Melbourne, treats an existing property with similar flair and creativity. The studio's work keeps a relatively low profile – and often is the result of a modest budget – while achieving maximum impact through spatial generosity and optimising functionality and personality in the final design.
INFORMATION
-
We put the new ultra-compact Dyson Car+Boat handheld vacuum through its pacesA cordless handheld vacuum pitched at a plethora of tasks, Dyson has tasked the new Car+Boat with far-reaching functionality without compromising performance
-
Gordon Ramsay Restaurants are taken to new heights with three openings in one of London’s tallest buildingsGordon Ramsay Restaurants open at 22 Bishopsgate, from Asian-inspired cuisine and martini menus at Lucky Cat and Lucky Cat Bar; to an intimate chef's table, and an all-skill level cooking academy
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: the make-up collections defining contemporary beautyThe beauty winners of the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025, selected by beauty editor Hannah Tindle, include playful and eclectic make-up collections by Hermès, Celine, Dior, Chanel and Prada
-
A suburban house is expanded into two striking interconnected dwellingsJustin Mallia’s suburban house, a residential puzzle box in Melbourne’s Clifton Hill, interlocks old and new to enhance light, space and efficiency
-
Palm Beach Tree House overhauls a cottage in Sydney’s Northern Beaches into a treetop retreatSet above the surf, Palm Beach Tree House by Richard Coles Architecture sits in a desirable Northern Beaches suburb, creating a refined home in verdant surroundings
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A monolithic house in rural Victoria celebrates 50 shades of greyAdam Kane Architects’ monolithic house in rural Victoria, Grey House, is ‘a testament to the power of simplicity and harmony’
-
Is Rochester Street Office a creative worker’s dream? Inside a Sydney workspace echoing calmness and lightRochester Street Office by Allied_Office merges utilitarian design with cascading vegetation, presenting a thriving environment for creativity and collaboration
-
A Melbourne family home draws on classic modernism to create a pavilion in the landscapeThis Melbourne family home by Vibe Design Group was inspired by midcentury design and shaped to be an extension of its verdant site
-
Tour Clifton House, an airy Bondi family home, brimming with natural light and foliageClifton House by Anthony Gill Architects is a North Bondi home using an abundance of vegetation to create a slice of privacy within the suburbs
-
Tour this compact Melbourne home, where a small footprint is big on efficiency and experimentationNorthcote House is designed by architects David Leggett and Paul Loh as their own home in Melbourne
