Nic Owen Architects
Nic Owen Architects is an architecture practice whose Lunchbox projects show a knack for making the most of small, heritage-constrained sites in inner Melbourne.
Fitzroy North Addition defies the constraints of a small Victorian terrace to create an affordable, spacious home, and Clifton Hill House balances heritage controls with a sustainable renovation of a Victorian cottage. Big Little House packs big ideas into a modest, light-filled extension on a tiny Fitzroy North site, while Pod House replaces a bad 1980s addition with a light-filled 'pod'.
Journey House is designed so that moving through the home is more interesting than arriving, Kensington Palace renovates a home in a historic pocket of Kensington, and The Shadow House offers a low-key, shadow-like addition that let its owners keep a heritage home rather than demolish it.
See Pod House, The Shadow House and more of their work on Lunchbox below.
Fitzroy North Addition Defies Constraints for Affordable, Spacious Home
Tight site, stringent planning and heritage controls, and a difficult orientation -- Nic Owen Architects pull off the architectural equivalent of a miracle.
Clifton Hill House: Heritage Cottage Gets Sustainable Renovation
An inner city Victorian cottage of heritage significance is renovated with contemporary design and sustainable building practices.
Big Little House is a Modest but Light-Filled Terrace Extension
When a family of four decide to renovate their terrace on a tiny site, some big ideas need to be packed into a little space.
A Modern Light-Filled 'Pod' Deals With a Bad 1980s Hangover...
A lot of mistakes were made in the '80s, Nic Owen Architects attempts to rectify one of them with a modern pod-like extension.
A House Where the Journey is More Interesting than the Destination
Old and new are connected by a black tunnel with no end immediately in sight. But there is a light-filled end to this tunnel.
A Home Doesn't Need to be Large to Be a Palace
'Kensington Palace' challenges the idea that a home needs to be expensive and expansive to be your dream home.
A 'Shadow' of This Heritage Home Shows Us How You Extend Respectfully
Extending heritage homes respectfully is a challenge. Allowing this addition to recede into the shadows was the sensitive approach.