Orange with Envy :: South Yarra House :: Australia

Australia based firm LSA Architects have designed the South Yarra house located in Melbourne, Australia.

A broad mix of architectural styles characterizes this densely populated South Yarra street, from traditional pitched-roof weatherboard terraces to flat-roofed rendered block-work apartment buildings. Narrow buildings sit tightly side-by-side along the one-way street.

The project aimed to provide a residence that makes a statement within the eclectic streetscape, capturing your gaze and holding your attention as you approach, enter and explore the home.

Light-filled spacious internal spaces maintain strong connections to the exterior of the building and the home’s multiple courtyards, blurring internal/external boundaries.

The methodology employed to meet these aims included implementing voluminous forms, building to the site perimeter wherever possible, installing glazing to multiple and varied planes, and applying colour to engage the viewer and provide continuity and connection between internal and external spaces.

An orange ‘box’ that is the first floor can be observed from as far away as the end of the street. Upon entering the house, the white ceiling abruptly gives way to the overhead insertion of this form, reminding the viewer of their connection with the coloured volume.

Arched glazing either side of the dining area physically separates interior from exterior, yet enables views of the orange-clad ceiling wrapping to form the external walls of the first floor, increasing connection to the exterior and the building as a whole.

The abundance of natural light coupled with the installation of electricity-generating solar panels (which also supply electricity back to the grid) serves to reduce the home’s energy consumption, and double glazed windows and fully insulated walls minimise heat loss and gain - LSA Architects

South Yarra House

Designed by LSA Architects

Where: Melbourne, Australia

Photographs: UA Creative