Butcher Shop Conversion

LOCATION
Geelong West, Victoria
Status
Completed in 2022
Award
2022 ArchiTeam Winner – Small Projects Medal

Generous beyond its title, providing a playfulness and visual interest for passers-by, engaging with the street both during the day and at night.

Tsai butcher shop is our home and office in Geelong.

The project is divided into 2 stages, the shopfront and office fit-out is completed as stage 1, with the house renovation to the back as stage 2 to be completed next year.

The project got its name as the building was once a local butcher shop, we had a vision to convert it into a shopfront house, with architects’ office and retail shop to the front, and residential home to the back, the ultimate work from home pad.

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Shopfront

As a shopfront house we wanted the place to both add a point of interest to the streetscape, but also balance with the privacy we wanted to enjoy for our house. We added an operable portion to the wall, during the day it opens like a pair of French windows, revealing the architectural models sitting in the operable wall panels, and present a framed view to the activities of an architectural office for the neighbours and passer-by. During the night the window panel is closed, creating a shopfront display, showing off our furniture pieces and potentially local artists paintings on the wall, all the while keeping the privacy of the house.

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Inside the office

Inside the office the material palette is kept simple and honest, the wall is partially lined with whitewash plywood panelling, and exposing the rest, showing the paints, and imperfections and cracks. We salvaged materials from the demolition to make the columns and framings. We decided to expose them all, feel fitting as an architectural office to present the beauty of construction materials.