Heritage Architecture and Contemporary Additions Melbourne

Davidov works with heritage and existing houses across Melbourne and Victoria. We approach these projects as acts of careful judgement: understanding what gives a building its character, deciding what should be retained, and identifying where change can bring greater clarity, usefulness and longevity.

Reading the existing house

An existing building is not a blank canvas. Its proportions, materials, construction and accumulated changes all become part of the brief.

We begin by looking for the underlying order of the house. Some elements carry its history and should remain. Others may obscure the original building or no longer support contemporary life. Our role is to distinguish between them, preserving what is valuable without allowing preservation to become an obstacle to the future of the home.

The relationship between old and new

There is no single correct expression for a heritage addition. Some houses call for a quiet continuation of their existing language. Others can support a clearly contemporary intervention.

We look for coherence rather than imitation or contrast for its own sake. New work should establish a considered relationship with the existing house through proportion, sequence, material and light. The result does not need to disguise the passage of time, but it should feel resolved as a whole.

Heritage approvals and project delivery

Heritage controls need to be understood early. We work with heritage consultants, planners and other specialists to establish a clear strategy before the design becomes overly fixed. This allows planning requirements, significant fabric and contemporary needs to inform the architecture together.

Through documentation and construction, we remain closely involved in resolving junctions between old and new, responding to conditions uncovered on site and protecting the architectural intent as the project develops.

Selected heritage and existing-building work