The Barn Alterations & Additions, Templestowe

Alterations and additions to The Barn at 29 Edwin Road, Templestowe, a highly distinctive mid-twentieth-century former dairy complex of local heritage significance within the HO216 Heritage Overlay.

Gosia Gabrys Architect acted as lead design architect and heritage consultant, preparing the architectural design and Heritage Impact Statement to support a comprehensive redevelopment of the site, which has received planning permit approval.

The project involves the careful adaptation of a c.1948 mudbrick and stone barn, originally constructed by anthropologist Dr. Donald Thomson, together with associated outbuildings. The design introduces a series of contemporary interventions, including a glazed entry, new living wing and additional accommodation, while retaining and enhancing the building’s distinctive material character and architectural form.

A conservation-led approach underpins the design, balancing the need for substantial upgrading with the retention of significant fabric. New works are expressed as clearly identifiable contemporary additions, designed to remain subordinate to the original structures and to maintain the legibility of the site’s evolution.