Built on a piece of land measuring 5 meters by 25 meters is our Tivoli rd Residence in south Yarra.
The siting of the house was on a busy corner posing some interesting challenges. The house required both acoustic and visual protection for the occupants and despite the limited space, a sense of spaciousness had to be achieved.
It was decided to enter the building in the middle of the site walking along the outside of the building along a gantry from its highest point so on entering, the experience of the street had been left far behind. A person entering the building is met with a two storey volume with a single faceted timber stair, something totally unexpected on such a small block. Spare rooms lined with timber like small train carriages were created at the front of the house for visiting grandchildren, the side entry point designed to not require visitors to walk past them on entering as is the custom with single fronted terraces. To the back is a large study and access to a rear garden with a staircase from the upstairs kitchen and living room. The master bedroom and associated functions is also on the top floor built to look over an internal walled garden and water feature sheltered from any interaction with the street below.
The end design does not conform to the standard notions of beauty as we generally understand them. The tight space and planning possibilities that were utilised to maximise the plan left an awkward ungainly form. Rather than shy away from this issue, the awkwardness was harnessed and held in check through the particular material choice and detailing employed in the end design. The form was divided into a series of vertical bands made up of nine different sized blocks of bluestone to creating both vertical and horizontal emphasis to the façade, that together served to negate the form of the building leaving a new aesthetic that was strong and resolved while still maintaining a certain tension giving the building a subtle edge.
In the varied architectural landscape of Tivoli Road, with all the changes created in the eighties and nineties, this modern home bookends the street looking very different but very comfortable in its surroundings.
