Fontbunker

• Builder: Dorset Construction
• Architect: Patchwork Architecture
• Photo Credit: Mary Gauldin

Designed by Sally Ogle from Patchwork Architecture and built by Dorset Construction, this small two-storey building is located in the front yard of the client's site (a compact 494 square metre site with an existing house) and provides both a workspace and guest accommodation.

The lower level - with an exterior of in-situ board-form concrete, is set slightly below ground level and contains the workspace for the owners, who run a type foundry (hence the Fontbunker moniker).

A retreat for work and accommodation for guests:

This level is a retreat for work, with the window placement carefully considered to allow light without glare and minimise direct sunlight onto the large collection of books contained within. Cabinetry (desks, shelving, storage, and a small kitchenette) hovers above the parquet floor, visually extending the compact space.

A subtle pink textured plaster finish has been applied to the walls and ceiling. A large pivoting door opens to a small garden space between the Fontbunker and the existing house, with a custom bronze handle by local artist Ben Pearce.

The upper level, clad in black anodised aluminium, and accessed by an external cantilevered concrete stair, contains the guest accommodation - a bedroom, storage, and small bathroom. This level is lighter, with expansive views out over the rooftop of the house and the wider suburb to the west.

The guest space is wrapped in soft and warm materials - woollen carpet on the floors and cedar boards lining walls and ceiling.

It's all in the details:

Details, materials, and lighting throughout have been carefully considered (and expertly executed by the builders and joiners involved) to create an overall effect of calm and refuge. Stone, brass and timber are used throughout, visually linking the two levels and creating a cohesive building, despite each level's different programme and feel.

The owners also collaborated with their neighbours to landscape a previously overgrown bank, transforming this into a terraced play area for the children of both households. Landscaping works also formed car parking and turning spaces adjacent to the Fontbunker.