HERITAGE

The Rocks

Wisden Architects has provided heritage consultancy services to the State heritage listed Rocks area. This has included feasibility studies assessing upgrade options for heritage listed buildings and leasing alternatives to ensure the integrity of the heritage buildings is not compromised.

The heritage project at The Rocks entailed reinterpreting elements of the area’s history.
Their architectural design transformed the space, seamlessly integrating with the natural landscape while preserving the area’s scenic beauty.
Wisden architects consulted on The Rocks Heritage project. 
MANSION

Restoration

This Arts and Craft mansion required modernisation and improved interaction with the spacious garden.  

Wisden Architects removed the servant’s quarters and deconstructed the kitchen area, designing an open plan kitchen and family dining area with generous walk-in pantry in contemporary details appropriate to the heritage interior. A generous wrap-around verandah was designed to shelter the outdoor dining and seamless indoor-outdoor integration for the family areas.

"The carefully designed wrap-around verandah seamlessly integrates indoor and outdoor spaces, creating an inviting atmosphere for family gatherings.
Wisden Architects transformed this Arts and Crafts mansion, enhancing its interaction with the spacious garden through modernization.
The removal of the servant’s quarters allowed for an open-plan kitchen and family dining area, complete with a generous walk-in pantry.

Our family comfortably lives within this heritage place. The detailing is classic but modern, providing functional areas which transcend the century old building.

Megan, CREMORNE POINT
FAMILY HOMES

Garden Studio

The original Federation cottage was a level above the spacious luxuriant garden and had  undergone rear alterations which blocked the view of the garden. The client’s request for a modern addition challenged Wisden Architects to demonstrate artistry and skill.

Wisden Architects’ Garden Studio, covered in cedar shingles and slats, provides a tranquil writing retreat for authors. 
MIXING IN THE OLD WITH THE NEW

Our approach was to preserve the original fabric and architectural features of the heritage cottage, minimising  alterations  to keep the project within budget. This became a private zone for sleeping and studying with a central passage converted to exhibit the owner’s extensive range of collectables of the cottage’s era.

Wisden Architects’ Garden Studio balances contemporary design with heritage details, making it an ideal space for work, leisure, or hosting guests.

The utility areas were reconfigured, and a new open plan extension accommodated the entertainment areas on grade with the garden.

To accommodate the remaining brief a garden studio was designed referencing the scale and form of the heritage cottage. This studio is a simple, yet sophisticated architectural feature within the lush subtropical garden.

We love the combination of living areas blending with garden and the natural light, fresh air and a feeling of space. The studio provides a beautiful and peaceful retreat, close enough to function as an extension of our house or a private place for visitors.

Jan, SUMMER HILL
HERITAGE

Development

First the intrusive elements were demolished, restoring the integrity of the building, and reinstating the verandah. The new extension replicated the gables and utilised the site levels to minimise the building bulk, improving the internal connection to the extensive garden.

An image showing how the architects extended into the garden to create a small diningarea.

The new design is a subtle and elegant play of elevational features, reinterpreting the Edwardian form with detailing driven by references to existing fabric, orientation, and materials, to provide a valid connection between old and new.

Adding new materials to an old and existing home structure.

The client purchased a dilapidated heritage residence on a large prominent corner site. Wisden Architects brief was to double the Floor Space Area, providing a contemporary extension which maintained the prominence of the original building and did not block the cross-site harbour vistas enjoyed by the neighbours.