A modern twist on the suburban picket fence has taken centre stage as a modernist barcode design on the glass facade of a family home in Melbourne’s East.
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Vibe Design Group principal Michael O'Sullivan says the striking feature is a unique aspect of the two-storey home that links the modern design to the classic picket-fenced Canterbury street.
"When we did the original site analysis, we saw that there's a mixture of houses there, and they're not of any particular style. But the common factor still, even with the modern version, was that everybody seemed to have a picket fence," O’Sullivan says.
"We obviously didn't just want to rely on a picket fence to do all the work, so we've taken that analogy of the picket fence and we've placed it on the front of the home, almost like a barcode-like break-up in black glass on the facade.
"That was our interpretation of having it sit within the area and having it offer that familiarity of people's view of (the area).
"It's a modernist version of the typical house for that area, but strangely it fits beautifully in the streetscape. The common comment from most people has been that they really love it, which is pleasing to hear."
The project received a commendation in the category of ‘Residential Design - New Houses: Over $1million construction costs’ in the 2014 BDAV Building Design Awards.
The design maximises light coming into the north-facing rear of the home. A second storey sits on the home's east, ensuring shadow falls over the driveway and not onto the family friendly front-yard.
Inside, designers have eliminated hallways and incorporated “hidden” doors, so the owners have a heightened sense of space in the living areas.
O'Sullivan says the aim was to produce a design that would not become dated, but rather a modern classic, like many homes in nearby suburbs.
"A lot of the modernist buildings around Kew and Studley Park are now being heritage listed which is fantastic, because they're from that era of the '50s and '60s," O'Sullivan says.
"What makes a good design is ticking all the boxes for its site, performance and location, but generally speaking from an aesthetics point of view, we see that one of the sustainability aspects is that if you design something well once and it's built, it will have great longevity."
Design: Vibe Design Group
marina.williams@fairfaxmedia.com.au
