HISTORY REPEATING

Respecting this home's heritage has resulted in design triumph at Riversdale

- LAUREN CLARKE

"The rumpus room creates a sense of privacy and sanctuary while enhancing cohesion and flow through the home. The glazing on the east and west sides provides beautiful views of the surroundings, connecting occupants with the natural landscape" Cameron Greiner

Riversdale is the site of a historic home with views encompassing not just the rolling verdant countryside, but the tranquil Malmsbury Reservoir. There's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to vistas-it's almost no wonder the home is set on the site of a former gold mine.

The original cottage was constructed here in 1881 and is now heritage-listed. "The Riversdale property was purchased in 1881 by the clients' great-great-grandfather, William Young, who immigrated to Australia in 1866 at 19 years of age," says Cameron Greiner of JOST Architects. "The property included two gold mines but no house, so he had the original brick cottage built that year, which still stands today."

Of course, since that time, the property has enjoyed numerous additions and alterations. Yet previous renovations failed to truly celebrate the original residence or capitalise on the expansive views. Enter Cameron from JOST Architects, a friend of the client who was passionate about bringing this new project to life. "The clients, who are close friends of mine, approached me to take on this project back in 2018, knowing it would be one of my first significant projects to design and deliver as a registered architect," says Cameron. "Typically, my work to date had been in conjunction with or under supervision of my director, Patrick Jost."