The owners of this new-build Alphington home have lived on the site for over 25 years.

When it was time to retire, they decided to sell their existing house (an interwar weatherboard bungalow) and subdivide the block, creating space for a new home at the rear where they could downsize.

The new house faces onto a back street of garages and sheds that informed the look of the project designed by Healy Ryan Architects.

Architect and co-founder of Healy Ryan Architects Dan Ryan explains, ‘The site falls under a heritage overlay, and while works to the existing dwelling fo­cused on consistency with its heritage character, it was obvious that this new dwelling required a different approach.

‘We developed a form and material palette in keeping with the back laneway vernacular: una­dorned blockwork walls, galvanised steel, natural timber, and strong angular forms.’

He adds, ‘In their previous house on this site before the subdivision, the clients and their friends would often enter via this laneway. We wanted to preserve the casual nature of that idea of entering the house through the back gate.

‘We also wanted a house that would allow vegetation to grow over and around it, such that it almost became one with the surrounding landscape.

Ensuring this strong visual and spatial connection to the garden was important to the clients, inspiring the creation of two outdoor spaces on the 325-square-metre site.

‘This was achieved by pushing to the boundary where possible… one to the north-west, and another smaller garden to the south-east,’ says Dan.

The downstairs bedroom directly looks out to the latter, while the living spaces adjoin the former. ‘The de­sign allows for continuous natural light, the character of which transforms throughout the day,’ says Dan.

To temper the sometimes biting north-west sun, Healy Ryan installed bright yellow external canvas blinds along the building’s outer face. ‘I stole this idea from Geralds Bar in Carlton because I liked the way their west facing yellow blinds gave the space a warm glow in the afternoon,’ says Dan.

The upper glazing is protected from the afternoon sun by a steel tensile screen fixed above planters, on which a yellow, flowering snake vine filters through dappled light.

‘My favourite part of the project is the quality of sunlight that transforms the house during the day,’ says Dan. ‘Particularly in the afternoon, when the warm toned sunlight comes in through the double height glazing, filtered by the large blue gum street tree and the vegetative screen, creating lovely patterns of shadow and light.’

While smaller than their house next door of 25 years, the clients’ new home is spacious and light-filled, and enables them to age in place without compromising on character.

‘They have spoken of their particular pleasure of gathering at the dining table under the double height space, which has become a focal point of the house,’ says Dan.