Threshold Between Old and New – Pascoe Vale South House by Chloë Antonio Architecture

Robust materials dance with the softness of natural light in this timeless and warm family home. Longevity sits at the heart of any design that is primarily used by a family – the assuredness that comes with knowing the building will stand the test of time and potentially stay in a family for generations. Yet, this need for longevity is balanced with a desire for a home that can be enjoyed and lived in to its fullest. With its solid structural brickwork and timeless aesthetic, the Pascoe Vale South House (or the Window Wall House as it has become more affectionately known) by Chloë Antonio Architecture looks to stand the test of time.

Located in a much-desired suburban neighbourhood of Melbourne, within a larger heritage area, this home occupies a coveted spot. With the Moonee Ponds creek trail as well the reserves nearby, the house was built for a life of relaxed exploration. Utilising the existing southern-facing house front, this addition was designed with the idea of creating a flexible living space, as well as optimising the existing space for a backyard.

With its solid structural brickwork and timeless aesthetic, the Pascoe Vale South House (or the Window Wall House as it has become more affectionately known) by Chloë Antonio Architecture looks to stand the test of time.

To seamlessly exist with the remaining elements of the previous building, the design utilises a similar fondness for brickwork. Robust and long standing, brick allows the new addition to sit within the same context of the remaining house front structure, while at the same time beginning to subtly hint at the extent of the addition from the street.

This reliance on heavy, robust materials extends itself into both the exteriors and the interiors of the home, with the use of a burnished concrete slab. The brutalist energy of concrete, softened by the warmth of hydronic heating, allows a juxtaposition of the natural elements at play in the new backyard, inviting the dance of shadow and sunlight into the home.

External screens were designed to be easily moved and manipulated, allowing the inhabitants to strike a balance that best suits them between openness and privacy, light and shade.

To further allow the natural elements into the home, a large wall of windows on the northern facing wall ensure natural light finds its way deep into living areas. The windows themselves open in a variety of ways, creating an open throughway from the deep back yard into the home. External screens were designed to be easily moved and manipulated, allowing the inhabitants to strike a balance that best suits them between openness and privacy, light and shade.

Inside the addition, a clever use of angles helps to maximise the spatial volume of the living area. The intense slope of the ceiling leading to the mezzanine creates more height in the building, while also helping to allow an intimate sense of space at its lowest point. The height is utilised fully with the mezzanine – a multi-functional and adaptable space existing in the tree line, allowing an evolving and growing family more space to discover.

At once this addition is private and intimate, but also grand and spacious. The interplay of textures within the building materials and the natural elements cleverly creates a space that is as multifaceted as any family that lives within its walls.