Lily Street House Architects: ODR Architects and LifeSpaceJourney Location: Melbourne, Australia Floor Area: 1,399 Sq. ft.
The client asked for an architectural box in an interesting site in the western suburbs of Melbourne; however, ODR Architects devised a response that shows consideration for context, history, climate, materials, urbanism and program. The proposal for the new house embraced the materiality and the fabric of the laneway. We looked at square footage in a wider context, and proposed an elevated recycled corrugated shipping container with zero setbacks, reminiscent of the docks that have such a strong presence in the area. However, the client and council had reservations about the corrugated iron, with the council asking the architects to ignore the sheds, setbacks and fences of the immediate surrounds and requesting a roof. This did not meet the client’s expectations and we therefore needed to reconsider the design. In the finished design, the house exterior turns its back on the context. There are no obvious windows, no articulation, no surveillance, just a foreign object in a laneway. Internally, the courtyard forms the centerpiece. The internal spaces revolve around this space, which heats and cools the space as well as providing separation in the plan. It also unifies function. The residents circulate around it, cook in it, and breathe through it. Opening the doors changes the environment inside. It also serves as a reminder of the surroundings – the two conditions juxtapose each other, giving validation to both. We have also allowed the outside world to engage through transparency and blurred moments of living.
2011 vol. 1
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