Once was a time when a roof was a roof. Mostly it just sat up there to keep the rain off, but more importantly, it looked like a roof. A roof would hold itself in such a way, with its jaunty gables, casual hips and firm ridges, to let the world know that this house is a house. A noble task indeed. Yet, for the most part, a roof would do precious little to enliven the warren of rooms below.

© Peter Bennetts

Architects: Architecture Architecture

Location: Australia

Design Team: Nick James, Michael Roper, Chloe Piper, Anna Nguyen

Area: 696.0 sqm

Photographs: Peter Bennetts

Builder: Grenville Architectural Construction

Engineer: Meyer Consulting

© Peter Bennetts
From the architect. Once was a time when a roof was a roof. Mostly it just sat up there to keep the rain off, but more importantly, it looked like a roof. A roof would hold itself in such a way, with its jaunty gables, casual hips and firm ridges, to let the world know that this house is a house. A noble task indeed. Yet, for the most part, a roof would do precious little to enliven the warren of rooms below.

© Peter Bennetts

With Hip & Gable, Architecture Architecture pays homage to a dignified, long-serving Californian Bungalow, while enticing it to say a little more and to do a little more too. We began by studying its ways: it?s darkened plinth, bricked chimney stacks, outl...