Australian architecture studio Pandolfini Architects was been commissioned to design this single-family home conceived as a composition of three-dimensional objects. The residence is located in Naarm/Melbourne and is situated in Boonwurrung & Woiwurrung country of the Kulin Nations.

The residence is presented as an interesting sculptural extension of its urban environment. The formal language of the façade already advances what type of architecture we are going to find inside, characterized by a singular geometry and soft colors that make it a project with a great personality.
Pandolfini Architects designed a house made up of three pavilions that resemble the structure of a barn arranged along the elongated rectangular plot. In the center of the plot we find a structure similar to a barn that houses the main living space, around it there are some brick-clad volumes that house the bedroom program at the front and a parking-car workshop at the back area.

The main materials are terracotta bricks that are placed vertically at an angle of 45 degrees to create the structure of the façade. Concrete is also a leading material since it forms the main structure of the house, defines the exterior, and delimits the interior areas.

In constructive materialization, he opts for the use of raw materials to create a contrast with the other elements of the house. The glazed connections connect the pavilions, accentuating their material and formal differences, contributing to a sensation of walking through intermediate spaces felt as hybrids between the exterior and interior of the plot.

Glen Iris House by Pandolfini Architects. Photograph by Rory Gardiner.
 

Project description by Pandolfini Architects

Built-in Boonwurrung & Woiwurrung country of the Kulin Nations, the Glen Iris House has been conceived as a composition of three-dimensional objects which extend throughout the interior and exterior of the building. A contrasting palette of raw and finished materials accentuates the resultant forms and creates a sense of permanence and solidity.

The house is composed of three pavilions that step down along the contours of the long rectangular site; a barn-like structure forms the main living space in the center of the property and is bookended by brick-clad forms that contain bedrooms at the front and a car workshop at the rear. Glazed links connect the pavilions, accentuating their material and formal differences and contributing to a sense of journey as one moves through the site.


Glen Iris House by Pandolfini Architects. Photograph by Rory Gardiner.

A patinaed copper screen stretches across the ground floor of the front facade, reinterpreting the surrounding front fences overgrown with greenery but pushed back from the property boundary to create a generous gesture to the street. The brick-clad volume of the first-floor cantilevers out over the screen and balances on a bush-hammered concrete blade, indicating the primary entry and hinting at the materials and forms within. Terracotta bricks, laid vertically and on a 45-degree angle, reference the tiled roofs of the adjacent houses and create a dynamic backdrop for the dappled light – filtered through the established street trees – to dance across.

Contrasting the taut, brick skin of the bedroom pavilion, the main living space reads as an exposed skeleton of robust concrete ribs which protect the delicate interior within. The bush-hammered concrete walls form the primary structure, define the exterior and delineate the zones within. A finely detailed interior composed of travertine, American oak, and polished plaster walls offers relief and contrast to the raw, heavily textured concrete.


Glen Iris House by Pandolfini Architects. Photograph by Rory Gardiner.

The living pavilion is oriented to the northern aspect with the primary glazing set deep into the form, creating a deep eave that mediates the light and curates views out towards the central garden and pool. Operable windows on either side of the pavilion provide for excellent cross ventilation whilst hard-wearing, raw materials are used throughout, ensuring the house ages gracefully and require little maintenance. The landscape is interwoven into the plan, with integrated planter boxes, cuts in the built form, and carefully curated openings establishing a strong dialogue and connection with the garden.

Compositional simplicity, bold materiality, and intricate detailing define the Glen Iris House. The home presents as a sculptural addition to the eclectic streetscape, its abstract façade providing a little indication of what lies within where a series of communal and private spaces are linked by their celebration of form and material.

More information

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Architects
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Pandolfini Architects. Lead Architects.- Dominic Pandolfini, Philip Vasilevski.
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Collaborators
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Landscaping.- Mud Office.
Ecologically Sustainable Development Consultant.- Makao.
Building Surveyors.- BSGM Consulting.
Structural And Civil Engineering.- Meyer Consulting Engineers.
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Builder
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Dome Building Projects.
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Area
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600 m².
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Dates
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2023.
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Location
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Melbourne, Australia.
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Photography
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Pandolfini Architects. Architecture practice was established, by Dominic Pandolfini, in 2012 in Cremorne, Melbourne, Australia, as a design-focused architecture studio. Architect from RMIT University. Before establishing his practice worked for Wood Marsh Architecture. Their projects are strong in form and unsparingly detailed. The studio is currently working on a range of exciting residential and commercial projects across Australia.
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Published on: June 5, 2023
Cite: "A sculptural addition as a dwelling. Glen Iris House by Pandolfini Architects" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/a-sculptural-addition-a-dwelling-glen-iris-house-pandolfini-architects> ISSN 1139-6415
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