Nestled in the quiet streets of Elwood in Melbourne, ‘Silhouette Hytte’ House is located on a narrow 210m2 block.
The site is 34.4 m long by 6.1 m wide and has an east-facing backyard.
Presented with many challenging constraints like the heritage overlay, flood overlay and proximity of neighbouring trees, the project required a carefully considered design response to achieve the client’s brief.
FIGR Architecture Studio was asked to design a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with open-plan living, dining, kitchen and study that needed to be practical, contemporary, and complimentary within its existing context.
The FIGR Architecture Studio team wanted the proposition to be modest and for it to respect its context.
The familiar form and pitched roof makes reference to the existing house vernacular, with a playful
FIGR’s formal approach to the building envelope was to use a simple extrusion of the existing house silhouette.
The extruded envelope was reduced to its simplest form, removing eaves and decorations.
Subtractions in the envelope created openings to light and program amenities.
Whilst the traditional roof profile is simplistic in form, it is however ample in volume.
The fold in the rear elevation negotiates the proximity of the neighbouring tree canopy which further creates a dynamic experience to the rear facade with the building changing appearance and proportion from different vantage points.
Insertions into the envelope in the black metal shrouds establish openings that relate to both visual and natural light amenities.
The basic forms allow the program to expand beyond the envelope and retain the simplistic form of the extrusion.
This is expressed in the dining room where the box form insertion into the extruded envelope allows the dining zone to expand beyond the envelope whilst retaining a functional open-plan arrangement.
Existing bricks from the original shed have been re-used for the new backyard paving.
The use of black standing seam metal cladding provides a strong contrast to the ship-lapped timber boards and timber doors.
Project Details
Project Size – 60 m2
Completion Date – 2019
Building Levels – 1
Project Details
Architecture
FIGR Architecture Studio
Melbourne-based Figr is an award winning architecture studio established by Adi Atic and Michael Artemenko.
Photography
Tom Blachford
Based in Melbourne, Australia Tom Blachford specialises in Interiors, Architecture, Aerial, and Fine Art photography.
Tom has worked for architectural and design clients including DKO, Techne Architects, FIGR, Elenberg Fraser, Wood Marsh, Jackson Clement & Burrows, GOLDEN, Ritz and Ghougassian, IF architecture, Foolscap, and Studio Esteta.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2021 FIGR Architecture Studio. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2021 Tom Blachford. All Rights Reserved.
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