The project by Pandolfini Architects has four levels that are connected by different staircases. The exterior rooms dilute their boundaries through the windows, combining with the terraces and gardens, the plants act as an active part of the conversation between materials and scales.
From the imposing presence of concrete, to the warmth of American oak wood and Venetian plaster, coexisting with the brightness of aged brass and marble, the materials share the limelight while generating a pleasant play of light and shadow that extends throughout the home.
South Yarra House by Pandolfini Architects. Photograph by Rory Gardiner.
Project description by Pandolfini Architects
The South Yarra House presents as a bold, impenetrable object. Deceptively simple in form, its robust materiality provides a protective shield for the inhabitants and a vessel for the sculptural forms and delicate materiality within. The journey through the house, comprised over four levels, is shaped by the sense of compression and expansion. Passing under the concrete façade which appears to float over the front garden and a delicate ribbon of patterned glass the double height foyer space is revealed. Enclosed, a spiral staircase and the curved form of the main living space protruding into the space as an abstract, brick form.
Beyond the foyer space, a juxtaposition of materials unfolds; the raw concrete façade, black timber battens lining walls, monoliths of marble and granite, natural zinc cladding, juxtaposed by warming American oak, creamy Krause brick, aged brass details and polished venetian plaster with curvaceous ceiling junctions.
The contradiction of soft materiality balances the predominant raw and robust material palette, enhancing and complimenting the interplay of light and dark throughout the home. A large terrace and swimming pool extends from the main living area over lush garden arrangements on the ground plane, creating a unified dialogue between architecture and landscape. The curated planting moments soften the bold materiality and scale of the built form, whilst the selection of eccentric planting adds to the spectacle of the architecture.
Designing the home with the notion of curiosity and discovery, eclectic materials and intricately detailed sculptural elements create a series of experiential discoveries that fill the home with constant encounters of rooms and spaces which were initially imperceptible. These gestures facilitate a dynamic refuge for the inhabitants, behind an unbeknown concrete façade.
