“Casa Mendel”, an old Concord West Library, also known as John Mendel Memorial Library has been transformed into two lots of contemporary dual occupancy houses.

The property is located in Sydney’s inner west suburb of Concord West, it is characterized by the neighbourhood of a heterogeneous low to medium density residential development. The new buildings are sited with great sensitivity such that covered outdoor space, gardens and views are enhanced.

This subtle sloping site incorporates two lots of attached dwellings designed to maximise the nature views east towards the nearby Concord Golf Club, each incorporating generous and open plan living and dining areas, four to five bedrooms and a single car garage.

A careful balance between transparency, materiality and solidity of the building’s outer skin was thoughtfully considered. The street elevation was translated into two gabled roof form to ensure a cohesive appearance between the dwellings and the neighbourhood building typology and characters, while subtly alluding to two distinct homes.

This was predominantly achieved through a contrast between the dark and light grey bricks. On the eastern façade a balance between maximising views and providing sufficient shading was achieved through a large cantilevered roof. Large highlight windows and skylights on the upper level wash the interior space with natural light for all four properties.