The Factory House

This adaptive reuse project converts an abandoned factory that was once used to make handmade toys, into a home for the architect. The land was initially acquired as an investment, and the original brief was to subdivide the land and construct 4 new houses for sale. The existing structure, although derelict, had some unique features; most notably - a semi basement, which kick started the campaign to change the brief. Mindful that demolition would result in a large amount of construction debris contributing to landfills, a scheme to repurpose the existing structure was put forward after identifying that the area had a high demand for luxury houses for expatriates. There began the journey of painstakingly restoring and giving character to an otherwise unremarkable structure. Often, restorations and adaptive reuse projects are of historic or heritage value, with elements to preserve and restore – so to take a nondescript building and introduce character to it, was a new challenge. The property is naturally split-levelled, with the original structure having a semi-basement, a ground floor and one upper floor – each approximately 160m2. Each was designated into a zone, with the basement for entertaining, the ground for living and dining, and the upper floor for bedrooms. The design was approached thoughtfully – staying entirely within the original footprint of the structure, carefully peeling away sections to incorporate windows and doors while adding in necessary walls to demarcate the bedrooms and spaces required to create a home.