WOWOWA PONY is an agile alteration and modest addition to a 1960s apricot brick home in Brighton East, Victoria, Australia. As an accretion of small moments of delight, Pony allows a family of six the ability to be alone or to gather. The design sought to have maximum impact on the lives of the inhabitants with minimal effect on the amount of garden and outdoor space.

The existing axial plan was exaggerated through a clip-on colonnade. The hardworking appendage acts as an elongated living space, offering moments of respite, storage, and increased connection to the outdoors. Supported by soft brick columns, the sculptural roof bonds the two volumes below and accentuates the length of the colonnade. The optimistic form culminates in a folded edge, shaping three spouts that celebrate the rain and direct it into a trench for collection. This new relationship to the garden makes being or feeling outside easy.

The home provides room for a family of six to grow. Each axis has the capacity to be closed off from the next, allowing a separation of the noisy living spaces from quiet ‘adult’ areas and kid’s study zones. With specific storage provided at every opportunity, everything has a place – washing, toys, books, games and a dedicated school bag ‘drop-off’ zone, to make life a little easier.

The extension addresses sustainability through the minimising of any additional footprint. The robust and durable material palette was selected for family living, play and to stand the test of time. Passive solar design and passive ventilation, also driven by a desire to connect to the garden, informed the planning of this home that was built to last.

Pony is architecturally ambitious within the project’s tight budget constraints. The energetic design was embraced by courageous clients, celebrates the local context, and enhances the functionality of a busy family home.

Furniture: Tait, Muuto, Bread & Butter, Innovation, Nood. Lighting: Living Edge, Brightgreen. Finishes: Gibbon Group, Signorino, Academy Tiles, Ventech. Fittings & Fixtures: Phoenix Tapware. 

Photography: Martina Gemmola