Monaise Residence, a unique restoration project in the Brisbane suburb of Ascot, is a unique blend of traditional Queenslander, Colonial, and Tudor architectural styles. Existing structural elements of base-level brickwork and outdoor piers helped Shaun Lockyer Architects navigate a brickwork continuation, approaching the project as a restoration requiring a contemporary finish.
The combination of four PGH Bricks products proved compatible in this restoration project, offering an accurate blend and fitting with the architects’ vision. Used were Black and Tan and Copper Glow from the Smooth range, along with Macarthur Mix and Mowbray Blue from the Dry Pressed Architectural range. According to the architects, the new form is playful and allows a certain architectural expression that cannot be achieved with other building materials. Internally, the existing brickwork was restored and repointed. This seemed to have been part of the original construction, and while not the prettiest element, key to this project was honouring the history of the home, which took precedence over design and colour consistency.
The placement of the house on land was another major point of consideration. Being relatively flat, the Kitchener Road site allowed cutting into the land with retaining walls simpler, along with stairs which celebrate the brickwork. Further interior and exterior use of bricks saw the implementation of a heavy grounded brick base with the light Queenslander on top – a familiar style in the area.
Brickwork was kept simple, but bricklayer flexibility helped in the creation of geometric patterns behind the fireplace and around the courtyard to create playful patterns of light and shadows. The combination of heavy and light brickwork application remains a highlight of this project, almost being used as an artistic installation in some respects, particularly with the backyard’s towering wall – a bookend to the back of the property.
Architect: Shaun Lockyer Architects
Photographer: Scott Burrows
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