burfurd house

2000

18 kildare street hawthorn

The house had operated as a breeding place for possums for some years, and the structure was losing the fight with gravity. We were encouraged to take on board the existing   architecture and use it as a series of architectural clues on which we would base our designs. The house was to be redeveloped with four or more bedrooms, new amenities, living and dining areas, kitchen and services rooms. We considered the principles behind the original design to be important for what we would do, and they generate from American Freestyle architecture dating from the late parts of last century. that architecture used elements of pin-wheel planning to establish bay windows and corner towers along with a non-reliance on formal axial geometry and the use of deep eaves and semi-recessed outdoor spaces. The new design was interpreted within those design themes, but they reappraise against   the need for contemporary interior rooms and open planning. We used new bay windows, circles and deep eaves - but in a fresh way as if to draw attention to the original style. The building is contained under a large tiled canopy roof which maintains the line of the original gable. Colors are rich and deeply hued, like a Melbourne autumn. Deep olives, sharp blues, a heavy violet and burnt green contrast with the terra cotta and Grey of the exterior. The landscape (by the young landscape architects :   Landarch) develops on our notion of spinning wheel planning and curves by adapting curves using a composition of stones, blocks, crazy paving and sawn stone edges - and plants to amalgamate the building with its surroundings. ND