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#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS

Pop Top by Licht Architecture

Perched atop a garage in New Town, Tasmania, Pop Top makes use of the untouched airspace above the existing structure to create a new home extending upwards.

Licht Architecture breathes new life into the bones that were already there, provoking us to think about the way open spaces and existing structures can be used in architectural design. The addition has resulted in the garage now having multiple uses, not only as a secure space for vehicles but also a foundation for the new home.

The brief: to construct a one-bedroom home that would ensure seclusion from neighbours within close proximity. Architect Jason Licht said the design largely reflected the client’s personality – sophisticated and always ready to host friends.

Licht said they wanted to move away from the more quintessential, typical and conventional designs of an elevated home, so as not to fall into the category of being just another “loft garden pavilion.”

“We wanted to deliver something that was fun and classy at the same time. The nice thing about this project was its evolution throughout the design phase. Our client’s excitement grew as the project progressed and perceived design risks were seen as opportunities,” he said.

The result is a stunning home that cleverly defies expectations about small-scale living and responds to the scarcity of appealing, one-bedroom, non-apartment options in Hobart. Pop Top, named after its blue- and orange-coloured frames popping out of the facade, is a compelling example of how space and privacy can still be achieved even with a modest 74-square-metre floorplan – by playing with volume and scale. “The feedback we keep receiving is that people say it is spacious and feels bigger than it really is.”

The interior offers a light-filled living space, with a neutral colour palette and Tasmanian oak floors to match. The house features a sculpted internal ceiling, pops of colour and framed views, as well as large sliding doors that open the kitchen up completely to the deck and allow for a cool breeze to sweep through. Fine aluminium window shrouds in the kitchen have been painted in playful pastel colours, drawing in light and reflecting coloured beams.

In contrast to this soft palette are the moody, cavernous spaces for retreat in the bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom contains a light well, which washes the room with warm orange light. Licht said the beams of light were an unplanned and naturally occurring, as light bounces off the mirror. “This was a happy accident. As the sun moves around during the day, there are lots of different peachy colours that come from both the external fine aluminium window shroud that’s above the kitchen window and the skylight in the bathroom.”

The design meets the brief of maintaining privacy, with raised windows or “pops” on the southern facade and a vertical batten screen on the western side, which runs from the second level to the ground level. In a bid to prevent the two-storey structure from dominating the neighbouring buildings and spaces, Licht said they played with volumes to blur scale through the implementation of a screen on the western façade that partially straddles both storeys.

The design was largely constrained by the site’s parameters, with the existing garage being situated in the northern corner, the home being one of three houses on site and neighbours over the boundary line being in close proximity.

“We had to be careful to not overshadow the neighbours and also provide them with the view of a visually pleasing home. Creating a space where the client could be out on the deck and not be seen yet still have access to the view of Mount Wellington/kunanyi was a fun juggling effort,” Licht said.

“At the same time, the privacy element allowed us to have fun within those constraints and experiment with the vertical fin screen and window pops.”

Licht said he hoped when people saw Pop Top, it evoked a sense of joy and delight. “As with all our work, we like it to incorporate an element of fun if the moment is right. We hope this project shows the value architects can bring to a project and ultimately people’s lives.”

Licht Architecture played with volumes to blur scale through the implementation of a screen that partially straddles both storeys.

Details

  • New Town TAS 7008, Australia
  • Licht Architecture