Too hard to split old and new in people’s choice home gong
AN 1842 cottage and a modern riverside home have tied for first place in a statewide People’s Choice architecture award.
Doug Bridge said he was “filled with joy” to learn his Bozen’s Cottage home in Oatlands had won the accolade.
He said the sandstone Georgian building was initially “very damaged” before Taylor & Hinds architects Poppy Taylor and Matt Hinds helped out.
“All the twentieth century additions were taken off and we took it back to its bare bones,” he said. “They respected the heritage of the building absolutely.”
Mr Bridge said he was pleased a “small little Vandemonium cottage” had received such recognition, with the site also winning the heritage Roy Sharrington Smith award for Tasmania.
Bozen’s Cottage architect Matt Hinds said he was proud to have achieved a high quality result and garner the people’s vote.
“The little cottage has a really large story to tell,” he said. “That story is part of the fabric of the township.”
Mr Hinds said the rich colonial and First People’s history of the site heightened its significance.
Simon Erb said his Edwards + Simpson designed jetty home capitalised on natural river bank views.
He said “flexible features” enabled the house to adapt as his three children Jack, 11, Alex, 8, and Katelyn, 7, grew up, with sliding doors between the boys’ rooms giving options for a private or shared space. “The architect [Martin Simpson] has done a really good job designing the property through a good collaboration with the builder,” he said.
The awards were run by the Institute of Architects Tasmanian Chapter.