Casting a New Mould – Terracotta House by Austin Maynard Architects

Conjuring its own village community of sorts, Terracotta House embraces and sculpts a new mould of multi-generational living within the inner north of Melbourne. Austin Maynard Architects redefines the way in which families can cohabitate, while channelling the spirit of the home’s bohemian and richly layered context.

Seeking a tree-change in spirit but not wanting to forfeit a well-loved postcode, the owner of Terracotta House engaged Austin Maynard Architects to accompany them on a journey of uncovering what that transitional notion actually meant. Having resided in Fitzroy, in the inner north of Melbourne, for some time, there was an ingrained connection to place that the owner wanted to maintain. Melbourne’s first suburb has retained a mass of its original built fabric, with its richly layered history is reflected in its architectural stratum. The area is known for its community spirit and embrace of the eclectic, and in a similar spirit, the owner wanted to bring multiple generations of her own family together on one site while also facilitating a relaxed, rural lifestyle.

The use of terracotta acts as a nod to a love of gardening, referencing the familiar terracotta pot.

The result sees the renovation of an existing cottage to the front of the property for her son and the creation of a new dwelling to the rear for herself. Between them is a flourishing shared garden that re-enacts the familiar village green, bringing its occupants together. Built by Spence Construction and Sargant Construction, Terracotta House also encompasses a shared pavilion, which doubles as a multi-use, almost civic-type space for its occupants. Library, guest room, studio or music space, the pavilion is self-sufficient with its own supporting facilities, allowing a breakout from the template of ‘home’.

In the creation of her own farmhouse to the rear, the owner is able to have elements of a more tightly woven urban life, while also immersing herself within a purpose-built compound, abundant with natural produce to tend to. The use of terracotta acts as a nod to a love of gardening, referencing the familiar terracotta pot. As a primary reminder of the act of potting, nurturing and growing a living plant, the reference transfers the meaning of new growth and ideation across to the architectural model sculpted in the process. The property is then broken down into its own series of laneways, common areas and expressed frontages to both residential volumes, engaging with the street. The internal experience brings in elements of the built fabric inward, while also being contemporary in its use of a clean and uninterrupted palette and robust in the concrete flooring.

The internal experience brings in elements of the built fabric inward, while also being contemporary in its use of a clean and uninterrupted palette and robust in the concrete flooring.

Terracotta House offers a refreshing take on sculpting the way in which we live to funnel own innate values. Austin Maynard Architects has listened intuitively to the client, proposing a uniquely individual expression of self through the multi-generational home.