The humble tin shed is a iconic Australian structure. Young architect Raffaello Rosselli has reinterpreted that quintessential structure by repurposing an existing tin shed at the rear of a residential lot. The new home/office is in the gritty inner-city suburb of Redfern, Sydney, so the weathered iron fits right it.
A Local Landmark
Located on a corner, the existing shed was a distinctive building -- a windowless, narrow double story structure on a single story residential street. It served as a landmark for the street -- the only remaining shed in the area. It is a unique reminder of the suburb's industrial past.
Reuse
The project brief was to create a new use for the building as an office space and studio. The shed in its current state was dilapidated and structurally unsound. The original tin shed was disassembled and set aside while a new timber frame was erected. The layers of corrugated iron accumulated over generations of repair were reassembled on three facades.
Industrial Economy
Rusting steel (Corten) window boxes cut through the form and extend out over the lane and street, opening up the once windowless space. The materials have been left raw and honest, in the spirit of its industrial economy. The west face was clad in expressed joint fibre cement panels while plywood floors and joinery add warmth to the interior.
Rust, Decay and Repair
The Tinshed project embraces that it will continue to change with time through rust, decay and repair.
If you like Tinshed, take a look at Über Shed(/featured/uber-shed/). It's another example of a house built in a reinterpreted shed style.