Modern open-concept interior with wooden flooring flowing outdoors to a lush garden with stepping stones and tropical plants.
Side view of a white house with a small porch and steps, next to green shrubbery and trees, during daylight.
Minimalist bathroom with white tiles, bathtub, toilet, mirror, and a green hanging plant, with brown flooring and a skylight.
Architectural floor plan of a narrow house with a rear garden, showing garage, bedrooms, kitchen, living area, bathrooms, laundry, dining area, storage, and rear garden.
Architectural cross-section of a building showing interior spaces, stairs, and outdoor landscape with trees and plants.
Architectural cross-section of a single-story house with interior furniture, trees, and a car outside.
Minimalist living space with white walls, wooden flooring, a tan sofa in the foreground, a dining table with six chairs, and a hallway leading to a door with a window at the end.
Comparison of two minimalist rooms, one with children's toys and a small table, and the other with a white built-in cabinet and a bed with a blue blanket.
A residential street with a large leafy tree in front of two houses, one with a dark garage door, another with a porch. A person is riding a bicycle past the houses. Utility pole and power lines are visible.
Living room with large window showing greenery outside, tan leather sofa with striped pillow, wooden floor, low wooden shelf with decor, small round black coffee table, and minimalist decor.
Modern single-story house with large sliding glass door open to backyard, visible interior with minimalist furniture and wooden floors, surrounded by trees and shrubs.
Aerial view of a backyard with a tiled patio, surrounded by tall green trees, and a house with a corrugated metal roof and a sliding glass door.
Comparison of two hallway interiors with white walls and wooden floors, one with plain walls and the other with decorative molding around the doorway.
Modern kitchen with white cabinets, wooden lower cabinets, stainless steel sink, and a view of an outdoor garden with green plants.

JJ House

Sydney, NSW, Australia - On Gadagal & Wangal Land

2020 Australian Institute of Architects NSW Awards - Award Winner

2020 Houses Awards - Alts & Adds under 200m2 - Commendation

2020 AIA Award Jury Citation :

This project celebrates the existing form of the inner-city Federation bungalow with an alteration that chiefly retains and transforms the traditional nature and organisation of the house. With thoughtful detailing the alterations contain a playfulness that celebrates its occupants to provide an individual sense of home to an otherwise familiar building typology. The original hallway form is retained as an organisational spine for the traditional layout of bedrooms; bathroom and living areas are accommodated within a rear lean-to structure.

With retention of the existing building form, the alterations are thoughtfully conceived to maximise the latent qualities of the house. The minimal approach to the new interventions steps quietly to find a balance

in renewing the home yet finding a place of belonging in history. Heritage light fittings, cathedral glass, tiles and joinery are transformed in their detailing to belong in a contemporary setting. The kitchen area is cleverly twisted to address the side boundary of the property providing an often ignored connection to garden along the side passageway.

JJ House is exemplary as an approach for altering and establishing a sense of individuality in the recognisable housing stock of our suburbs.

Builder:  Heath Millard & Andrew Connell

Engineer: SDA Structures

Photographer: Clinton Weaver