Over in Sydney, Australia, local architecture firm Fox Johnston transformed a defunct electrical substation into a modern three-story residence. The suburban Substation House is certainly not the first streamlined pad to come from the bones of something much older—London's water tower or the Virgin Islands' rum factory, for example—but it's probably the first to be made from a substation—essentially a hub that adjusts the voltage of electricity coming from the generating station before sending it to different buildings—built on the remains of an old quarry, so it's hardly surprising that the project encountered what the architects call "urban design issues" and "site complications." Ultimately, the bulk of the new structure had to be tucked behind the property's original 1916 exterior, with the trenches once used to house electricity cables now serving as the home's pond and wine cellar.
The ground floor houses the kitchen and laundry area, while the more closed-off top floors, accessible via timber walkway and stairs, encompass the three bedrooms and office.
A courtyard separates the original building from the addition.
· An Old Electric Substation Gets Transformed Into an Urban Home [Inthralld via Design You Trust
· All Conversions posts [Curbed National]