In a quiet, leafy suburb of Melbourne, a new residence takes shape, not as a statement, but as a condition of its landscape. This 2024-built home, designed to navigate the contrast between manicured suburbia and native bushland, draws its strength from a simple question: how can a building mediate, rather than dominate?
Framed by a thick sculptural hedge at the street front and overlooking parkland beyond, the house treads lightly on Wurundjeri land. Its main volume runs east-west along the southern edge of the site to harness northern light, while a perpendicular arm contains the kitchen and living spaces, opening generously onto dual courtyards. These outdoor rooms act as breathing spaces, microclimates that buffer wind, amplify sunlight, and maintain intimacy with the garden.
A defining feature is the arbour: a delicate, screen-like exoskeleton that wraps the house, forming a veranda where vines will grow and soften the facade over time. This green veil not only filters harsh sunlight but also echoes the wild vegetation of the nearby creek. In contrast, the house’s core structure, a robust blockwork envelope, grounds the home with quiet solidity. Together, they choreograph a conversation between permanence and change, structure and growth.
Inside, thoughtful planning favors fluidity and connection. Children’s rooms open onto a shared corridor with built-in benches, encouraging movement, study, and shared moments. The building avoids architectural bravado at the steep western edge, choosing instead to gently follow the land’s contours. Here, the home is not an object placed on the site, but a form draped into its slope, subtle, respectful, and responsive.
Landscape architect Sarah Hicks, builder Guild and Frank, and photographer Rory Gardiner have helped shape and capture this retreat. Recognised in the COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture, the project exemplifies how design can anchor domestic life in the rhythms of nature.
This is not a house that shouts, it listens, softens, and settles in. A house that feels less like shelter from the outdoors, and more like a way to live within it.
