Crisp Linear Gestures – Albert Park Residence by Travis Walton Architecture

Formed through a series of linear gestures, Albert Park Residence sees the transformation of an existing Victorian-era row house into a highly refined and considered contemporary home. Travis Walton Architecture draws on emotive and sensory cues to carve out crisp proportions and propose a home of restorative peace.

Suitably placed amongst similar-era homes in the same-named Albert Park, the reimagined home forms part of a series of row terrace homes, all from the Victorian period and matching in their ornateness. While the streetscape frontage remains as a key contributory feature of the area and its architectural history, the re-sculpting of the home behind allows a contemporary approach to be instilled, aligned through open and connected planning internally. Inspired by the original home and its expressed proportion, the proposal combines a similar rhythmic consistency through a refined contemporary crispness and linear gestures. Travis Walton Architecture uses deliberately open glazed apertures to frame connections between inside and out and encourage greater permeation of light deeper into the home throughout the day.

As a response to the narrow site, concealed junctions and details allow a focus on the level of craft integrated into the new elements, instead of becoming distractions.

Carefully navigating its slight and challenging footprint, Albert Park Residence is built by DuoBuilt and sees the retention of the original front bedrooms of the home. Together with a restoration of the existing, the addition steps down to align with the terrain and ensure the upper addition sits concealed from the street. As a transition of sorts, the heritage front spaces act as a portal into the new, where the formal and more traditional elements are opened up and morph into clean and minimal volumes that focus on sightlines and sense of collective connection. As a response to the narrow site, concealed junctions and details allow a focus on the level of craft integrated into the new elements, instead of becoming distractions.

A sense of restraint underpins the select palette and its application on site. From a monochrome base, texture and variation is injected through subtleties like the veining in stone elements, which are then contrasted by the smooth polished concrete floor. The coming together of darker and emotive finishes ensures the kitchen feels cave-like and becomes its own destination to immerse oneself, while the skylights overhead bring in natural light from above, into the lower level in the long stretching hallway. Although restrained in size, the act of not over layering or complicating each of the spaces allows them space to breathe and become embedded with the restorative feeling needed within a home.

Although restrained in size, the act of not over layering or complicating each of the spaces allows them space to breathe and become embedded with the restorative feeling needed within a home.

Through a carefully considered approach, Travis Walton sculpts Albert Park Residence as an enduring home, intended to remain relevant both today and for many years to come while retaining an important part of its history.