Gables Project

Making use of lost space

Spare space - finding a use

The main building at Ormond College was designed by Joseph Reed (Reed and Barnes) and opened its doors on College Crescent in March 1881. The gables project started out with the question, “How can we utilize the spare space we have in the main building roof without compromising the heritage significance of the iconic facade?” The building already provides student living quarters on two levels, either side of the grand clocktower above the entrance. The steeply pitched gable roof above offered large underutilized volumes.

Before Works

Image © Trevor Mein

Our brief

Ormond College was looking for ways to provide more student accommodation in its main building. Exploration revealed potentially usable but awkwardly configured attics under the steeply pitched roof. Lovell Chen has adapted these, creating fully serviced, insulated and fire protected spaces. Using every bit of volume, and imaginatively employing retained heritage fabric, new rooms have been created, each with their own character. This scheme underlines our ability to make the most of all the elements of a project.

Details

Client

Ormond College

Date

2013

Status

Completed

Original Architect

Joseph Reed

Location

Melbourne/Naarm

Traditional Owners

Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people

Image © Trevor Mein

"Constraints defined the limits; belief made the outcome possible.

Without altering a single structural element, twenty discreet rooms now inhabit the roof of the Joseph Reed’s masterpiece—each a quiet triumph of spatial adaptation."

KAI CHEN, DIRECTOR AND FOUNDING PRINCIPAL

Sketched initial plan

Illustration © Geoff Barton

Our response

Two floors have been constructed in the full width of the main roof, providing one- and two-level rooms with spiral staircases. A key challenge was to arrive at a visually pleasing and highly livable outcome without either concealing or blurring the fact that structural work has been carried out. Not only is the building a significant piece of heritage, but the work was undertaken while students occupied the floors below, and the roof had to be supported while new structure was inserted. The exterior of the building shows little visible evidence of the majors works that underpinned the complex integration of old and new

Image © Trevor Mein

Before Works

Image © Trevor Mein

Customisation to accommodate original features

The eight room types include original features such as corbelled brickwork, truss timbers, ventilation ducts, and exposed dormer window framing. They are furnished with timber modular units designed in collaboration with fit-out specialists Design Sense, using freestanding elements that provide visual consistency and offer students the ability to customise to suit their needs.

The stair configuration in the building’s clocktower has been returned as closely as possible to its original layout, releasing a set of hidden rooms that rise above the gable roofs, now refurbished as common spaces for student and college use.

Image © Trevor Mein