House Bar

House Bar is the conversion of an existing building into a small bar. The project carries a dense set of requirements: change of use, access, fire, structure, toilets, services, acoustic separation, planning, building permit and hospitality operations. The design is shaped by these constraints. A mezzanine, stair, privacy screen, accessible path, toilet block, bar areas and new structure are coordinated within a tight existing envelope. The project is small, but the technical and regulatory load is high. The work focuses on making the building public. It changes the status of the house, opening it to a new pattern of use while keeping parts of the existing fabric in the project. The architecture sits in the negotiation between atmosphere and compliance, where the smallest dimensions often carry the most consequence.

Client Finn Stewart Builder Curve Build Consultants Structural Engineer: Aidin Bahraini, Grand Structures Building Surveyor: Steve Maloney, Castle Kane Group Access Consultant: Lee Wilson Electrical: Datanet Electrical Location Preston, Victoria Country Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country Year 2024–2026 Status In progress Type Hospitality, change of use, adaptive reuse