Italian eyewear brand Safilo is turning 80 this year and instead of hosting a retrospective celebration of its achievements, they chose to honor the important occasion by asking …
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Chunky concrete slabs alternate with deeply recessed windows on the exterior of this Sydney house extension by Australian firm Nobbs Radford Architects (+ slideshow).
Named Glebe House, the two-storey annex was designed by Nobbs Radford Architects to provide the family residence with a new open-plan living and dining space, as well as extra bedroom and bathroom spaces.
The structure is located at the rear of the existing property, creating a new elevation facing the garden. Doors and windows are set right back from the facade, creating the illusion that walls are almost a metre thick.
“The depth of the rear facade creates an interstitial threshold, which is a space in itself to be occupied and provides a sense of enclosure,” said studio founders Alison Nobbs and Sean Radford.
Bare concrete surfaces continue into the interior, but are contrasted with warmer elements that include oak furniture and joinery, as well as pine floors.
A double-height space sits behind the facade, while a series of alcoves are created by the stepped arrangement of the walls.
“The project is primarily focused on the interconnections of cloistered spaces and selected framed openings,” said the architects.
The ground floor space is left open-plan. A breakfast counter divides the kitchen from the lounge area, while a family dining table fits into a space at the rear.
A wooden staircase with shelves slotted into the sides of its treads leads upstairs, arriving at a mezzanine study that overlooks the room below.
A new bedroom is tucked away on one side and opens out to a rooftop balcony.
Photography is by Murray Fredericks.
Here’s a project description from Nobbs Radford Architects:
Glebe House – a family home in Sydney, Australia
The project is primarily focused on the interconnections of cloistered spaces and selected framed openings. The outer concrete elements contrast with the timber elements that further define the various internal zones and functions within the house.
The depth of the rear facade creates an interstitial threshold, which is a space in itself to be occupied and provide a sense of enclosure.
The idea is to create intermediating spaces that ground the house in relation to both its interior and exterior. Within the house the void acts as a centralising space via which other areas of the house interconnect.
The stacking of the elements of the facade are contrasted by the seeming point loading at the exterior. The interior reveals the alternate nature where the structural loads are revealed. This duality through the facade re-emphasises the nature of the threshold space itself.
Complimenting materials of near raw continuous length floorboards and a restrained palette of black aluminium, black steel, stainless steel and oak appear throughout the house and create a cohesive connection between original and new. These materials were selected, partially, so as not to compete with the ornate patterning of the original house along with their own inherent qualities.
The project’s fundamental rationale is to create a family home that recognised the various needs of the occupiers, spaces for children and adults with a flexibility for both retreat and engagement.
The post Glebe House by Nobbs Radford Architects
extends a Sydney residence appeared first on Dezeen.
Melbourne-based designer Emily Green made a name for herself by designing bright, handmade polymer clay necklaces a while back. She has since taken part in a number of artistic and home…
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The new Melbourne home of the Australian Institute of Architects is a 22-storey tower by architecture firm Lyons with a sculptural facade that breaks down into staircases and balconies (+ slideshow).
Australian firm Lyons, whose past projects include a string of colourful university buildings, won a competition to design the building for the Australian Institute of Architects‘ Victoria chapter after proposing a building aimed at helping the institute engage with the public.
Named 41X, the tower sits at a crossroads between Exhibition Street and Flinders Lane. Its facade is covered with angular concrete fins, as a reference to the “chiselled masonry aesthetic” of Melbourne’s public buildings, but they appear to be cut away to make room for elevated public spaces highlighted with bright green accents.
“The design explores the idea of joining together a public and commercial building, by connecting the city street space with Institute occupied levels,” said Lyons director Adrian Stanic. “A major stair, visible from Flinders Lane, facilitates this and makes public engagement a focal point of the building.”
The AIA was the client for the project and occupies five floors of the building, leaving the rest of the floors free for up to 15 commercial tenants.
“This project enables owners or occupiers to create their own identity on whole floors within the building, creating a distinctively vertical business community on this city corner,” added Stanic.
Australian firm Hassell designed the interiors of the AIA’s five floors. These include a first-floor “design haven” containing an architecture and design bookshop named Architext, a cafe serving as a public meeting space and a seminar room.
A terrace is located on the roof, while bicycle storage and changing facilities are contained in the basement.
Photography is by John Gollings.
Here’s the full announcement from the Australian Institute of Architects:
New heights and a new home for architecture as Governor-General opens strata tower in Melbourne
Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce AC CVO, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, has officially opened Victoria’s new home of architecture at 41 Exhibition Street.
Developed by the Australian Institute of Architects, 41X is a 22-storey Five Star Green Star strata-titled commercial tower that accommodates the Institute’s Melbourne offices, including the Victorian Chapter, over five levels. 41X is the first strata commercial office building in Melbourne to target carbon neutrality over its 30 year operating lifespan – accounting for embodied energy, base building operational energy, transport and waste.
“41X successfully shows how private and not-for-profit organisations can have a positive impact on the development of our cities by creating world class, cutting-edge, environmentally responsible commercial buildings,” Her Excellency said.
‘This elegant addition to Melbourne’s CBD makes a bold statement about the value of design. With this building, the Institute is strongly reinforcing the value of architects and architecture to the sustainable growth of our community – tangibly fulfilling its mission of ‘making the world a better place through architecture’.”
Conceived as a hub for architecture, for Institute members and the public alike, 41X is the place for design enthusiasts to meet, with a design haven on level 1, complete with a comprehensive architecture and design bookshop (Architext) and a café run by Axil Coffee Roasters. In addition, the Institute is currently developing a program of public events focusing on architecture and design.
41X is situated on a small footprint block at the corner of Exhibition Street and Flinders Lane and is also home to 15 other purchasers and tenants keen to be part of this exemplar building.
The project’s inception dates back to 2006, when a detailed feasibility study for the site, encompassing a range of potential options for its future including renovation through to relocation, was commissioned.
After extensive consultation, the Institute’s National Council decided that the site would be redeveloped into a small office tower that would set new standards in quality Australian commercial architecture.
In 2008, the Institute held a two-stage design competition. The commission was awarded to Lyons Architects with a concept that explored ideas about the hybrid public/commercial building, the engagement of the Institute with the public and targeting a carbon-neutral outcome.
In 2012, following a rigorous selection process, Hassell was selected as architect for the fit-out of the five Institute-occupied levels.
Paul Berkemeier, National President of the Institute said “We are immensely proud of our new Melbourne home. It is an exemplary, small footprint, commercial building that shows how good design, sustainability and the work of architects can deliver outstanding results.”
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sculptural Melbourne tower by Lyons appeared first on Dezeen.
Concrete block walls with window-like apertures surround a courtyard at the front of this Melbourne house by local practice MRTN Architects, which also features an angular wooden roof (+slideshow).
MRTN Architects designed the family home, named Fairfield Hacienda, so that it would engage with neighbouring properties on its suburban street. The designers convinced the clients to downscale the building’s planned footprint by a third, making room for a courtyard that acts as an uncovered outdoor living room.
“The enclosed courtyard is located to the north of the house and creates a buffer between the street and the house, allowing the living spaces to open up to and access northern light and warmth,” the architects explained.
A path that meanders through a small garden leads from the street to the courtyard, which is level with the fronts of the adjacent houses.
The walls shelter the courtyard from the wind but contain holes that allow the residents to see their neighbours and people passing on the street.
A tree at the centre of this outdoor space provides some shade from the sun, while vines and other plants will eventually cover the concrete walls, giving it the appearance of a secret garden.
Concrete blocks enclosing the courtyard continue along the front of the house and also appear internally, where they are polished to a smooth finish.
The material is used for the front half of the house and was chosen for its high thermal mass, which reduces the need for artificial heating and cooling.
Glazed panels create a gap between the solid walls and the angular projecting roof, which is covered on the underside with red cedar.
The faceted ceiling appears to hover above the main living room and kitchen and dining space, where it complements an angular stone-clad breakfast bar.
A small courtyard at the centre of the home separates two wings occupied by the parents and children. Plants inside the glazed structure will gradually grow and increase the privacy of these areas.
The rear half of the property containing the bedrooms and bathrooms is constructed from a timber frame and clad in plywood panels.
Photography is by Peter Bennetts.
Here’s a project description from MRTN Architects:
Fairfield Hacienda
On the fringe of Melbourne’s inner suburbs, this new family home sits in an established residential street of Victorian villas and Californian bungalows. From the footpath, the Fairfield Hacienda with its angled roof fits into the landscape of single level homes, effortlessly picking up the street’s original pattern of hipped and gabled roof forms.
A closer look however, reveals that this new house sits behind a sunny, walled courtyard. This room without a roof, except for a sheltering courtyard tree, is an extension of the living and dining spaces that open onto it. The enclosed courtyard is located to the north of the house and creates a buffer between the street and the house allowing the living spaces to open up to and access northern light and warmth.
The front wall of the courtyard matches the front setback of the adjacent neighbours. In holding the typical front setback of houses along the street, and setting the house to the south, a sun filled outdoor area is created that can be used as a living, dining or play area.
The courtyard space also becomes a semi-public space allowing interaction between the owners and local passerby’s; responding to the owners desire that the house engage with the established residents in the area.
The concrete block walls of the courtyard continue without interruption through the house’s main living areas. These walls remain unchanged except for the patina. Outside they are rough and weathered, but become polished and honed once inside. The design is not precious of the courtyard walls, eventually vines and creepers will take over the exterior concrete block and create a walled garden that will change by season.
The living spaces are covered with an undulating canopy of cedar, a warm blanket of timber. From the exterior the roof form relates to the neighbouring roof geometries along the street but from inside the roof dips and rises to define the dining, kitchen and living spaces below. The timber ceiling is kept clear of down lights and services, all lighting is provided by concealed perimeter uplighting, at night the roof appears to float over the masonry walls below.
Beyond the living spaces the private zones of the house are arranged as two wings, a parents wing and a children’s wing, that wrap around a small courtyard. This central planted courtyard provides light and ventilation to the centre of the house. Currently parents and young children can see each other through this void but over time planting will create greater privacy for older children.
The owners’ brief was to create a long-term family home, somewhere they could become a part of the street and its ongoing history. The Fairfield Hacienda sits comfortably within its local context while creating a contemporary light filled home that is orientated to the north and provides a variety of spaces to live in, both inside and out.
The post Family courtyard fronts Fairfield Hacienda
house by MRTN Architects appeared first on Dezeen.
Advertorial content: In the history of silent film, an artistic medium that dates back to the late 1870s, it’s hard to imagine a greater task being asked of such a few moving images: to get a person—who lives in New…
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Melbourne practice Architecture Architecture has altered the orientation of a house in the Australian city so the main living areas get the best of the northern sunlight (+ slideshow).
The young couple who own the house initially intended to extend it along one boundary only, but Architecture Architecture convinced them to utilise the space at the rear of the plot by removing an existing bathroom to make room for a north-facing courtyard.
The additions surrounding the courtyard increase the interior dimensions of the Victorian house and provide a new bathroom and small study, as well as an open-plan kitchen and living area with folding windows that can be opened to connect it to the courtyard.
“Constructing along this rear boundary maximised the solar orientation, blocked the neighbouring townhouses from sight and provided a private internal courtyard that could be enjoyed from many vantage points within the house,” architect Nick James told Dezeen.
Architecture Architecture added a steeply pitched roof that bypassed planning restrictions and allowed them to introduce high ceilings and louvred clerestory windows to increase light and space inside the new rooms.
As the clients like to entertain regularly, the architects designed the living and kitchen space as a social area with benches in the windows providing seats where guests can sit facing inside or outside.
“The outdoor courtyard has the feel of a room, with bench seats on two sides and a fireplace that allows for outdoor entertaining on cooler evenings,” said James.
The fireplace was revealed during the demolition of the bathroom and the original brick was uncovered by stripping back a layer of plaster which had been concealing it.
Brick is also used to clad walls surrounding the courtyard, and the architects said they chose recycled bricks to add character and to reference the industrial history of Melbourne’s Abbotsford district.
“The exciting thing about these bricks is that every palette you receive is different, so no two walls you construct will appear the same,” explained James. “They vary slightly in colour, size and imperfections, so there’s a real character and history within each one and bringing them together creates an extremely interesting patchwork.”
White timber boards contrast with the red textured surface of the brick, with both materials recurring inside the house to enhance the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.
A concrete slab floor used in the living areas was specified for its thermal efficiency as it absorbs and releases heat, helping to maintain consistent temperatures in summer and winter.
Photography is by Tom Ross.
Here’s some more information from Architecture Architecture:
THE ‘TURNAROUND HOUSE’ TURNS TO FACE THE SUN
This project is an extension to a Victorian‐era house in Abbotsford, Melbourne. The brief called for new open‐plan living areas, a new kitchen, bathroom and study nook. Against the odds, this modest extension has turned a dark, cramped residence with little backyard to spare, into a light‐filled house with fantastic indoor and outdoor entertaining areas.
The existing house was south‐facing, casting itself into shadow, with unsightly neighbouring buildings imposing on all sides. By creating a U‐shaped extension along the property boundaries, Architecture Architecture has turned everything around. Now the house enjoys a generous private courtyard, with great northern sunlight throughout the year.
From the outside, the steep, raked roof deftly negotiates planning regulations, allowing for generous ceilings and high‐level clerestory louvres. In stark contrast with these windows, an unapologetic blank brick wall hovers over the courtyard, boldly declaring a distinction between the two sides of the living areas within. One side, more intimate, opens up to the courtyard, the other, with views to the passing clouds, admits northern sunlight in the wintertime.
Along both sides of the courtyard, a pair of long bench seats soften the threshold between indoors and out. One serves the living areas, the other serves the courtyard. At the back of each bench, bi‐fold windows draw back, allowing the house to throw itself open to the outdoors or to close‐off – adapting as required.
The material palette further assists in relaxing the otherwise clear geometries of this house. Exposed recycled brick (an echo of Abbotsford’s industrial heritage) and white timber boards (a staple of the modest residential extension), subtly breach the delineation of indoors and outdoors, weaving the two together.
The optimised solar orientation along with the use of brick walls and a dark concrete slab for thermal mass ensure that this is a high‐comfort, low‐energy house all year round, ideal for entertaining. A true turnaround.
The post Renovated house turned around to face
the sun by Architecture Architecture appeared first on Dezeen.
A sweeping, sculptural staircase extends through the centre of this monochrome inner-city loft apartment in Melbourne, Australia, by Adrian Amore Architects.
Adrian Amore Architects renovated the apartment interior for an investor to create a stark, modern space.
The building was originally used as a butter factory and converted into apartments in the 1990s. The architects removed a steel truss through the centre of the space and replaced the roof to make room for additional bedrooms.
Adrian Amore told Dezeen the twisted staircase, that is made from steel and covered with plywood and plaster, was constructed and tested on site.
“I wanted to dramatise the form of the stair, to give it more movement than a conventional circular stair, almost as though it had been pulled or stretched at its mid point,” Amore explained.
“This was challenging to build, to distribute the loads evenly, as the stair naturally wanted to flex at at its mid point, and so we were worried about it bouncing,” he added.
The stair treads are covered in a dark-stained hardwood.
The ground floor features a bathroom, laundry and pantry space are concealed behind more curving plaster walls. The kitchen, living room, dining room and studio are all open-plan.
Grey marble covers benches and splash backs, while low-hanging lights are fixed above the kitchen table, which is also covered with marble.
Sliding doors between the downstairs areas also mean the space can be separated or left open for entertaining.
A pair of bedrooms upstairs sit across from a bathroom and another large studio space, while a wooden roof deck offers views over the city.
Photography is by Fraser Marsden.
Here’s a project description from Adrian Amore:
Loft Apartment, West Melbourne, Australia
Walls tear, bend and converge in this sleek loft apartment interior housed in a former butter factory, in West Melbourne, Australia, by architect Adrian Amore.
A sculptural stair sits at the converging point in the space, twisting dramatically, and soaring up towards a recreational roof deck which overlooks the city of Melbourne.
The original apartment contained a steel truss which sliced through its centre, polarising, and its removal, together with the removal of the existing roof generated accessible space for addition bedrooms.
A monochrome palate of white on white with charcoal and black, plays with the abundant natural light which is drawn in from the large north facing windows and ceiling void.
An essentially open ground floor plan is defined by bending, wrapping walls which contain a bathroom, laundry and storage spaces.
Sliding doors further create the opportunity for expanding or containing, depending on how the ground floor space is used, whether it be as a studio, bedroom or for entertaining.
The post Sculptural staircase twists through loft apartment
in Melbourne by Adrian Amore Architects appeared first on Dezeen.
Australian multidisciplinary designer Henry Wilson’s Vide Poche is a perfectly-sized tabletop organizer for your day-to-day detritus. Sand-casted in either aluminum or bronze, the tray’s sloping silhouette is reminiscent of an…
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Following the overwhelming success of a one-off promotional print journal, Australia’s Four&Sons—a design and culture publication with man’s best friend its defining theme—has just announced a biannual print journal that will be distributed internationally. As…
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