Manningtree Road | Heritage Home Renovation & Additions, Hawthorn 

Location: Hawthorn, Victoria 

Architect: Chadwick Architects 

Original Era: Victorian (c. 1890)

Heritage Renovations and Contemporary Addition

Chadwick Architects was engaged to undertake a comprehensive heritage renovation of a much-loved family home in Hawthorn, one of Melbourne's most architecturally significant inner-eastern suburbs. The property had been a cherished family residence for more than half a century, and while it retained tremendous character, it required thoughtful modernisation both internally and externally to meet the needs of contemporary living.

Heritage properties in Hawthorn present a particular set of challenges and opportunities. Hawthorn's leafy streetscapes are defined by their Victorian and Edwardian architecture, and any significant renovation must negotiate the suburb's heritage overlays with care and precision. Chadwick Architects brought deep experience in Melbourne heritage residential architecture to this project, working sensitively within local planning requirements to restore the home's original integrity while introducing bold, considered contemporary interventions where they would have the greatest impact.

THE DESIGN: LIGHT, SEASON AND FACETED FORM

The centrepiece of the renovation is a new rear living area addition a space conceived to deliver joy across all seasons and to express the brave, daring spirit of our clients. Rather than defaulting to the predictable box extensions common throughout Melbourne's inner east, Chadwick Architects designed a faceted roof plane of genuine architectural ambition.

The geometry of the faceted roof was carefully modelled to respond to Hawthorn's specific solar angles throughout the year. In winter, the planes are oriented to admit low northern sun deep into the living space; in summer, the geometry provides natural shading without sacrificing the connection to the garden. The result is a living space that is genuinely alive to its environment — never static, always in conversation with the sky above and the garden beyond.

RESTORING THE HERITAGE FABRIC

Beyond the new addition, the project encompassed a thorough renovation of the existing heritage home. Original plasterwork, timber joinery and period detailing were carefully restored or sympathetically reconstructed where required. Chadwick Architects collaborated closely with Boroondara Council planners and heritage consultants to ensure all works met the requirements of the local heritage overlay, preserving the character that makes Hawthorn's residential streets among Melbourne's most distinctive.

This project demonstrates how sensitive heritage architecture and contemporary design can coexist and in fact strengthen each other when guided by a practice with genuine expertise in Melbourne's heritage residential context.