Melbourne studio B.E. Architecture has renovated and extended a Victorian property in the city for an avid art collector, adding a varied palette of materials that help distinguish the old and new parts of the building.

The design project for the St Vincents Place Residence began with a heritage building in Melbourne's inner suburb of Albert Park. The owner wanted to retain the house's historic character while creating a suitably contemporary home for his family and his art collection.
"The client, as a patron, put his belief in architecture, artists and artisans to create a nourishing environment that goes beyond surface treatments by inscribing contemplative experiences into the physical form," said the studio.

The house and its two neighbours were originally part of a convent that had been remodelled and repurposed over time, so the only thing remaining was the front facade's 200-millimetre-thick masonry wall. B.E. Architecture developed a proposal for a 750-square-metre home to replace a cluster of sheds and outbuildings occupying the land behind the facade.
The rebuilding process enabled four levels to be created, including a rooftop terrace and a basement that would not have been possible to implement underneath an original structure.

The studio sought to achieve a sense of timelessness in the design, by incorporating classical details alongside carefully chosen contemporary materials to give the building an ageless quality.

"We shy away from trends...