Prizewinning Respect for History: Coventry Place by Michael Jan Studio

Sometimes the best-laid plans get an unexpected turn; that�s what happened when a builder intended to put two homes on a Coventry Place site in Melbourne, only to find that the house already there had historic value! That�s when he called in Michael Jan Studio, formerly JAM Architects, for help. The house was a prefabricated cottage, dating from 1852 or 1853, and had come to the site imported from Singapore; in the face of this, work began on restoring it under the direction of Roger Beeston, a heritage architect. Now, the ancient structure is �backgrounded� into a modern home with a kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms. On one hand, a soaring fa�ade of glass and concrete�a sun-filled expanse that brings all the best of modern indoor/outdoor life to the site�and on the other, precious history.

Here, old and the new meld in fun ways: note the leather wing chairs in nonchalant counterpoint to an ultra-modern kitchen, its cabinetry doing double duty as a camouflage for equipment and appliances. �Animal� fur rugs on the floor complement both the new wing and the interior of the original vintage cottage, now furnished with an off-white sofa and loveseat. Printed wallpaper gives an old-fashioned feel to this room, while a similarly printed wall as an accent in the kitchen/dining area looks fabulously chic. And, citing how �the new house � generously allows the cottage to assume its original and rightful place in the urban setting of South Melbourne,� the Victorian Architecture Awards gave this project the 2009 John George Knight Award for Heritage. Sometimes, knowing a bit of history pays off!