Appropriately named White Delight, this Poly Studio project sees a new verandah inserted at the back of a single storey Victorian weatherboard house in the Melbourne inner-city suburb of Prahran.

The contemporary insertion is designed as an extension of the dwelling’s heritage qualities. It serves as the spatial interface between the house, garden and existing carport structure. It additionally gives privacy to its occupants, and finally is an environmental interstice between inside and outside.

The verandah is designed with a strong language of linear screening. The screening is used to filter out the strong summer sun without making the interior of the house dark, especially in winter.

The translucent fibreglass roofing provides diffuse daylight, but is further filtered by the layer of horizontal boards that line the underside of the roof. By the operation of a series of bi-folding screen panels across the front face of the verandah, it can either be fully opened or closed off from the garden and assists to control morning sun.

The verandah is constructed from a combination of timber and steel. The timber framing is clad with a vertical board fence, which is finished with a clear stain. The translucent fibreglass roofing is supported by a steel frame. The bi-folding screen panels are made from a combination of timber and steel.

The verandah is designed to be sustainable. The use of timber and steel framing is low-embodied energy materials. The translucent fibreglass roofing provides natural light and ventilation, which reduces the need for artificial lighting and cooling. The bi-folding screen panels can be opened to allow for cross-ventilation, which further reduces the need for artificial cooling.