KNOW DIFFERENT

A heritage home in Ballarat has been restored and refreshed with a bold extension that deliberately pushes design boundaries.

- Sarah Pickette

Disruption rarely tops the list of qualities a homeowner is looking for in an architect, but then again Andrew Kuiler isn’t your average owner. “I’m a disrupter myself,” says Andrew, “and I was seeking an architect whose values aligned with mine.” His role as owner and CEO of Shanghai-based brand consultancy The Silk Initiative sees Andrew lead a team that helps global companies design identities that will resonate with the Chinese and Asian markets. But Andrew lives in Ballarat, Victoria, and it’s there that he recently built his dream home.

“I’ve been working overseas for the past 20 years and, on moving back to Australia, I wanted a house that reflected the global hodge-podge of my career and interests,” he says. “My plan was that I would base myself in Ballarat and ‘commute’ to Shanghai for regular stints at work there.”

Having bought a 1911 cottage in 2014, Andrew sought the right person to design an out-of-the-ordinary extension for it. Step forward Ammon Beyerle, a Ballarat-based architect and principal of Here Studio, whose thought-provoking design of a government building had caught Andrew’s eye. “Ammon teaches at the Swinburne University of Technology and he’s at the forefront of what’s happening in architecture,” says Andrew. “He’s an interesting guy who’s now a friend – I’m a big fan of his work.”