elwood residence
While the brief for this project included a specific aesthetic, the uniqueness of this home is extraordinary. Residing in an inner suburb of Melbourne, the sculptural form of the house has been inserted into the residential landscape, With a cantilevered upper-floor clad in aluminium slats, the day-time presence is that of a textured and patinated container over glass. At night, however, when lit from within, the upper floor becomes a lantern, while the lower floor falls away to give the impression of a single sculptural form floating in the night sky.
On an exceptionally narrow site, the solution was to build to the full boundary of the block, effectively making the new house as wide as possible without creating laneways between the houses. Contained within glass walls, two of the four courtyards read as a continuation of the living area with the largest courtyard at the rear of the property. To one side a long swimming pool follows the boundary, while the opposite side provides a louvered skylight that continues out from the house to the garage as a long cantilevered canopy.
While the rarefied aesthetic and variable utility are outstanding, what makes the house exceptional is the experience of the space. Intimate and private on arrival, the house is very much concealed before opening to the view as the journey into the house is revealed.
