architecture

When Ann and John Scholes approached BENT Architecture to design their Mt Eliza house, they were after a few key things; a compact home, connected to nature, designed for comfort and accessibility as they aged.

And, it was here, in the home they dreamed up, surrounded by a bountiful garden they had nurtured themselves, that John was able to receive palliative care before he passed. Something, Paul Porjazoski, director of BENT Architecture, says they were proud and grateful to be able to facilitate.

Just a few years ago, this Hawthorn, Victoria, home was nothing more than a rundown 1880s Victorian facade with four heavily fire-damaged rooms. The heritage-protected property was going to be a huge undertaking to restore, but Matt and Fiona Olaes were up to the challenge.

With the expertise of architects Robson Rak, builder Lane Project Management, and Ben Scott Garden Design, the original elements of this property have been reinstated alongside a light-filled, flowing extension.

The completed home is one of properties on show at the upcoming Open Houses 2022 hosted by St Joseph’s School Hawthorn.

Melbourne is home to some truly incredible apartment buildings — you just have to know where to find them.

One of the city’s best known and most admired early apartment complexes is the 1930s Cairo Flats. Designed almost 90 years ago by architect Acheson Best Overend as 36 ‘bachelor’ apartments (26 studios and 10 with a separate bedroom), this apartment complex is beloved among Melbourne’s architecture community as a prime exemplar of well-designed, medium-density, minimal housing in Australia.

We recently spent the day capturing the complex and two of its current residents; author Jennifer Down and creative director Anna Fullerton. 

This Sydney seaside pad is so light, bright and airy, it’s hard to believe it was previously a dark, dated home before its transformative renovation by Matt Woods, of Killing Matt Woods.

Enlisted by his friends to update their home in Avoca Beach, the designer knew he wanted to create something that matched its serene surrounds of the Central Coast.

But a witty play on words helped inspire a larger concept, which references Greek mythology and the ‘Four Ages’. Through a combination of muted metallics that allude to the Golden, Iron, Silver, and Bronze Ages. Take a closer look!

Vivarium is a totally transformed Thornbury cottage intended to be ‘consumed’ by its future garden.

Designed by Architecture Architecture, new living areas are entangled with green spaces thanks to curved walls and an enchanting central courtyard. The project also successfully adheres to the homeowner’s requests to minimise their environmental footprint.

Take a closer look at this captivating abode!

According to a recent report by the ABC, developments in the outer suburbs of big cities can get up to 10 degrees hotter than the city centre. This is due to overdevelopment and poor town planning, where every inch of usable land is occupied with a house, thereby leaving little room for either private or public open place.

From both a human and environmental perspective, we desperately need responsibly designed, accessible housing in new suburban developments. The LiveWorkShare House by Bligh Graham Architects is a prototype for sustainable, flexible housing in high-density blocks.

Located in Samford village just outside Brisbane, the project covers only 40% of its 612 sqm site. Formulated with the work-from-home model in mind, the architects emphasise smart design as a way to achieve the trifecta of functional diversity, density and green space at once.

When architect Kyra Thomas (Kyra Thomas Architects) and her partner Julian Reznik were searching for their new home, they were looking for a challenge; something they could transform into a spacious family home, but that was a little different to the usual inner-city Sydney property.

They found exactly that in an old self-storage warehouse, which they’ve masterfully renovated into an elegant family home that seamlessly connects exterior courtyard spaces with an open-plan, light-filled interior.

The owners of this Jan Jac house came to Not All Architecture with a simple brief; create a small, low impact home that tested the opportunities for living well within a 100sqm footprint. 

But how do you take a modest beach house, designed to be inhabited for short periods of time, and design it as a permanent residence – without significantly increasing its footprint? 

For architect Phoebe Clarke the answer lay in placing the verandah, not around, but directly through the middle of the house – to facilitate year-round outdoor living, optimise thermal performance, and to split the sleeping and living wings for visual and acoustic privacy. Genius!

Perhaps the most striking element of this 600sqm home, is how it expands after you’ve entered through the front door. Its design is deceptive, as from the street, the structure’s breath-taking size and connection to the garden is totally hidden.

This was, of course, the aim of architect Micheal Ong from MODO, who designed the house as a progression of spaces and moments to ensure it never presented as overwhelmingly large.

Smith Architects approached this alterations and additions project with a primary objective: to better connect the humble Queenslander to its landscape and climate. 

Working carefully to preserve the existing rooms, the practice added an elegant extension, focusing on quality over quantity. New spaces indoors and out are playful yet functional, balancing privacy and connections to community.

Stewart Smith of Smith Architects was determined to retain the original structure of this tiny workers cottage in Blackheath, NSW. So much so, instead of extending it – he stripped back the ‘tacked on’ rooms, to downsize the 50sqm building to its original 28sqm footprint.

With nods to its history (plus some 21st century updates!), Little Black Cabin demonstrates how a derelict building can be salvaged and updated for modern life, to live another 100 years.

Fitzroy Bridge House started as a typical Victorian terrace: beautiful, but lacking in natural light and ventilation. 

Rather than add a contrasting extension (a common heritage renovation approach), Matt Gibson Architecture + Design designed a series of mews-like buildings to expand the Melbourne home.  

Breaking the linear layout that typically defines these historic terraces, the updated home features three separate volumes, linked by a glass bridge above and two internal courtyards below. This ingenious approach invites light and air into the narrow site, without compromising on movement or space within.