Melbourne Architecture
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about Melbourne Architecture
Project • By Atlas Architects • Private Houses
Havenwood
Havenwood began with a family gift: a block of land in a quiet Brighton cul-de-sac. What followed tested the project at every turn—planning disputes, a drawn-out VCAT process, the collapse of the original builder, and ultimately a complete rethink of the design. From these challenges emerged a light-filled home that reconsiders the suburban backyard, placing nature, community, and long-term living at the forefront of everyday life.
Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
The project initially proceeded under a design-and-build contract that met planning requirements but struggled to deliver a cohesive, livable outcome. Circulation was awkward, solar access was compromised, and the spatial clarity the family had hoped for was missing. As frus... More
Project • By Kirsten Johnstone Architecture • Private Houses
Bay Pearl
Light, soft interiors and tactile brick walls — Bay Pearl is a new renovation and second storey addition to an existing Brighton family home. Sitting less than 1km from Port Phillip Bay, this significant renovation has reconfigured the orientation to enjoy the protected north facing garden and the new internal courtyard.
Tatjana Plitt
The external metal shell protects the lofty internal spaces. Expressed raw, silvery brickwork and inky, black charred-timber cladding lend a honed refinement to the built form. Internally, our lustrous palette includes soothing light, oyster tones. Finely detailed steel elements contrast with lush wool carpet.
Tatjana Plitt
Locally sourced timber is wrapped and folded for tactile warmth. Larg... More
Project • By R ARCHITECTURE • Private Houses
Mahogany House: Multigenerational Home
In the Mount Waverley suburb of Melbourne, Australia, R ARCHITECTURE has designed Mahogany House, a multigenerational family home arranged around a highly efficient plan. The building’s design responds to a mature mahogany tree at the rear of the site, a key feature in the experience of the finished abode. Mahogany House is home to Vish and Gaurav Rajadhyax, co-founders of R ARCHITECTURE, an Australian studio passionate about bringing good design to suburban settings.
Chris Murray
Chris Murray
A design that preserves nature and family connections
The plan for Mahogany House carefully preserves the roots of three trees: a liquid amber tree and silver birch at the front of the property, and a mahogany tree to the rea... More
News • News • 12 Dec 2024
Australia’s first solar-powered façade completed in Melbourne
Located in Melbourne, 550 Spencer is the first building in Australia to generate its own electricity through a solar panel façade. Drawing from advanced European glazing tools that integrate photovoltaic cells into sleek, transparent facades, Kennon worked with local suppliers and international experts to bring this sustainability vision to life.
Tom Ross
The building design reflects Kennon’s signature style – clean lines, minimalist elements, and an emphasis on spatial dynamics. It is multi-purpose in nature, accommodating both commercial and residential spaces.
The facade is designed to balance energy generation with comfort, featuring solid solar panels on the north side to capture sunlight. In contrast, cle... More
Project • By Taouk Architects • Heritages
THE GROVE
The key challenges for this project lied in adapting the existing fabric with the contemporary addition towards the rear. Influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, the original design is an exemplar of Bungalow architecture which was highly popularised during the early 20th Century.
EMILY BARTLETT PHOTGRAPHY
Wanting to pay homage to the heritage and integrity of the existing residence, the design is influenced by the components and principles of Bungalow Architecture, characterised by a strong horizontal link between house and land, the use of long lines, soft flowing arches, and balanced proportions, yet reimagined to reflect the challenges of contemporary living.
EMILY BARTLETT PHOTGRAPHY
Residing on Coburg’s most excl... More
Project • By Taouk Architects • Residential Landscape
Bramley Residence
Located in the Sackville Ward, Kew, this contemporary design embodies a minimalist form, clean lines and a simple and natural palette.
The scale of spaces create a sense of grandness when people walk through the door. The utilization of large expanses of glazing and double height ceilings elevate the visual experience of the user.
VEERAL PATEL
VEERAL PATEL
VEERAL PATEL
VEERAL PATEL
VEERAL PATEL
This home was design for clients who love to entertain. A direct connection between the internal and external spaces was key in creating one large space that catered for the families need and love for entertainment.
A huge emphasis on glazing and north light was imperative to further enhancing the visual connection between... More
News • News • 15 Aug 2024
KoningEizenberg designs “neighborhood hang-out” Student Pavilion for University of Melbourne
Santa Monica-based architectural studio KoningEizenberg Architecture designed the University of Melbourne’s new Student Pavilion as a kind of “neighborhood hang-out”.
Peter Bennetts
KoningEizenberg Architecture
The 27,000-square-feet (2,508-square-meter) Student Pavilion is part of a wider Student Precinct on the University of Melbourne campus. The pavilion creates an informal home for students and expands services for those who commute daily, providing casual dining, study, meeting, and event spaces. The pavilion’s design is driven by student input with insights on diversity, gender equity, well-being, and sustainability.
KoningEizenberg Architecture
The 225,000-square-feet (20,903... More
News • News • 9 Jul 2024
Sunny ParkLife building by Austin Maynard Architects embraces community and sustainability
Australian architectural studio Austin Maynard Architects has designed ParkLife, a sunny apartment building in Brunswick, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Australia. Seeking to transform the approach to high-density urban living, the strikingly poetic building’s design prioritizes social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
Tom Ross
Tom Ross
Austin Maynard Architects acted as both architect and developer for the project. ParkLife is part of the Nightingale Village in Brunswick — The Village is a collection of six neighboring buildings (designed by local architects) that embrace social, environmental, and economic factors. ParkLife comprises thirty-seven one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes as well as... More
News • News • 5 Jul 2024
Carr completes robust and breathable commercial building in Melbourne
Melbourne-based architecture and interior design studio Carr has completed a robust and breathable commercial building in Collingwood, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The design of “116 Rokeby” echoes the area’s industrial materiality combined with a pragmatic approach to sustainability. The building’s beautifully brutal facade with its strong architectural repetition is both utilitarian and refined.
Rory Gardiner
Carr
Collingwood has a history of art and creativity that dates back to the early 20th century. Once home to warehouses and factories, providing creative minds with affordable spaces in which to work and live, the area’s gradual gentrification has been shaped by its a... More
News • News • 7 May 2024
Wood Marsh emphasizes color and form in new Melbourne rail stations
Melbourne-based architectural studio Wood Marsh has completed the development of Bell and Preston rail stations as part of Victoria’s extensive Level Crossing Removal Project. The two stations embrace color and form as tools for placemaking and include new green spaces. The incorporation of Indigenous design elements helps to bolster inclusivity and foster opportunities for cultural learning.
Peter Bennetts
Peter Bennetts
Bell and Preston stations form two key parts of a considerable redevelopment taking place along the Mernda Line, a metro train line in Melbourne, Victoria. Four level crossings were removed by elevating the line, creating a green space equivalent to the size of three Melbourne Cricket Grounds.... More
News • News • 11 Apr 2024
Austin Maynard Architects designs a “pretty” wellness-enhancing home in Melbourne
Australian architectural studio Austin Maynard Architects recently completed a new two-story house in South Yarra, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne. Designed for a family of four (and their dog), the house encapsulates the client’s vision for a “wellness-enhancing home that is architectural and inspirational.” The home is called Lang 靚 which in Mandarin and Cantonese means “pretty”. Built on a small plot, an orderly layout maximizes space and offers a balance of indoor–outdoor living.
Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
Austin Maynard Architects
The clients were especially keen to live in a house without hallways and corridors. They placed an emphasis on having a pragmatic and energy effici... More
News • News • 4 Apr 2024
Kennedy Nolan’s warm Melbourne apartment building prioritizes community, affordability, and sustainability
Melbourne-based architectural practice Kennedy Nolan has completed Leftfield, a residential building that is part of the Nightingale Village in Brunswick, an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Australia. Leftfield’s design prioritizes community, affordability, and sustainability, placing these matters front and center.
Tom Ross
Tom Ross
Nightingale is a model for triple bottom line developments that encompass social, environmental, and economic factors. Leftfield is Kennedy Nolan’s first project under the Nightingale model and was delivered with the studio in the role of developer. The residence is one of six neighboring buildings that form the Nightingale Village — each building was designed by a dif... More
News • News • 30 Nov 2023
Carr’s sustainable Bruce Street building is a catalyst for urban renewal
In Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Kensington, a new red brick and concrete building pays tribute to the area’s historic and industrial past. Designed by Melbourne-based architecture and interior design studio Carr, the eight-story “Bruce Street” building is uniquely placed to be a catalyst in the area’s urban renewal. The first development of scale in Kensington, Bruce Street is also the first project to pass Melbourne City Council’s Green Factor Tool (Carr explains this initiative will “impose a positive obligation on landscape designers, architects, planners, and developers to improve the extent of vegetation cover on private land in Melbourne.”)
Rory Gardiner
Rory Gardiner... More
News • News • 26 Oct 2023
38 Albermarle Street by Fieldwork introduces a new housing model to Melbourne
Designed by architecture studio Fieldwork, 38 Albermarle Street in Melbourne is a 7-storey structure accommodating 73 apartments in one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations. Developed by Assemble Futures, the project takes a sensitive approach to the existing context and heritage elements on site. The development also marks Australia's first medium-density 'built-to-rent-to-own' (BTRTO) project whereby residents can rent new apartments for up to five years with options to purchase the property for a fixed price at the end of the lease period.
Adam O'Sullivan
38 Albermarle is located on a corner site with a significant early industrial building designed by Australian architect Harry A. Norris. For Fieldwork, it was essential fr... More
News • News • 4 Aug 2023
Melbourne’s latest mixed-use development enhances past identities in a contemporary way
Situated at the historical end of Collins Street in Melbourne, 623 Collins Street by Carr is a 42-story mixed-used development offering a new and meaningful architecture that enhances past identities in a contemporary way.
The site includes two heritage-listed buildings adjacent to the proposal, the State Savings Bank and the Batman’s Hill Hotel. The architectural response to these buildings provides the point of departure for the design of 623 Collins Street, with Carr collaborating closely with heritage consultant Lovell Chen to develop a response in line with the form and scale of the historic surroundings.
Caption
The constrained footprint of the site and its heritage buildings require a precise and careful level of pla... More