Outbuilding with Deep Garden
In the streets of Melbourne, Australia, a concrete residence designed by architect Ross Perrett in 1980 quietly exudes unadorned beauty. Additionally, a newly completed glass brick structure in the backyard shines brilliantly under the light. Baracco+Wright Architects always prioritize spatial conditions and strive to maintain a connection with the environment. Through simple geometric shapes and lightweight materials, they balance solidity and transparency, creating a strong dialogue between the new double-height mezzanine building and the existing house, unveiling a charming new chapter in this urban oasis.
The owner, having acquired this historic residence, sought to meet the growing functional needs of the family and invited the architectural team to create additional space, expanding the building to accommodate flexible functions like a garage and bedrooms. The glass brick structure not only creates an expansive interior but also forms a dialogue with the original residence and the lush garden, with light from the glass bricks enhancing the garden's ambiance and embracing the picturesque environment.
However, the architects did not adhere to dogmatic architectural norms; instead, they chose a different path. Considering the site's limitations and the shading factors of neighboring buildings, they utilized the "setback" feature, responding to the original house's geometric shape. The triangular plan elegantly curves at the corners, harmonizing with the surrounding landscape. This annex echoes the robustness of the original house and the geometric shapes common in late Brutalist style. This approach not only preserves the garden's depth and the existing birch tree but also respects the original environment, extending the visual line to the garden's deep vegetation.
The glass brick design of the building was meticulously conceived, maintaining interaction with the original house and garden. The triangular plan symbolizes the architects' commitment to simple geometric shapes and spatial experimentation, seamlessly bridging the gap between the garden and the existing house. As the triangular tip gently extends into the garden space, it creates a sense of depth, resulting in the wedge-shaped "deep garden" that responds significantly to the site conditions, with the building's footprint almost precisely where the concrete driveway was, thus becoming a captivating focal point.
This architectural playfulness injects new vitality into the site, enhancing the residents' experience and providing them with charming views of the green sanctuary. The effect of the garden on both sides and the pointed end facing the house makes the building appear slightly smaller from the house, while the garden seems larger. In this interplay of shapes, a small round sauna on one side adds to the interior's functional diversity. This newly added annex, like a radiant glass box, interacts with the existing environment, combining functionality with vibrant aesthetic beauty, injecting dynamic color into the garden.
