Burnley House by Field Office Architecture

In Melbourne’s Burnley, Field Office Architecture transforms a dated townhouse on a narrow site into a calm, light-filled family home, defined by layered spaces, tactile materials and considered sustainability.

Created for a couple with three teenage children, Burnley House replaces a poorly designed 1990s townhouse on a tight 5.5-metre-wide block in Melbourne’s inner east. While the site presented significant physical and budgetary constraints, the resulting home feels expansive and highly considered – a cohesive integration of architecture, interior and landscape.

The plan pivots around a central courtyard and lightwell, which brings in light, ventilation and softness to the home’s core.

The plan pivots around a central courtyard and lightwell, which brings in light, ventilation and softness to the home’s core. From this anchor point, spaces unfold with measured restraint, balancing openness with privacy and forging a strong connection between indoors and out. A rooftop deck provides a rare moment of vertical release, offering views to the city skyline while enhancing crossflow and natural ventilation across all levels.

Throughout the home, Field Office Architecture maintains a steady hand with materiality. Spotted gum veneer joinery and cladding introduce warmth and rhythm, paired with polished concrete floors and recycled-brick walls that ground the home in its local context. In the kitchen, deep-olive-green Chifu finger tiles from Artedomus offer a rich counterpoint to the otherwise muted palette, while a long skylight slices through the space, activating the interiors with shifting light throughout the day.

While compact, the planning carves out moments of generosity through compression and release, layered thresholds and finely tuned detailing.

Furniture selections have been client-led, incorporating vintage and mid-century pieces alongside custom joinery and a dining table made by the builder, Tykon. Lighting by Coco Flip and Sphera lends a soft atmospheric glow, reinforcing the sense of calm and understatement that defines the project.

Burnley House avoids over-programming. Instead, spaces support multiple modes of living – places to connect, gather, pause and retreat. While compact, the planning carves out moments of generosity through compression and release, layered thresholds and finely tuned detailing.

Finishes and materials were selected for low embodied energy and long-term durability, supporting a home that will adapt as the family’s needs evolve.

A rigorous approach to sustainability underpins the design. Passive strategies quietly shape the home’s liveability – from thermal mass and natural airflow to the use of solar power and rainwater systems – ensuring the home performs optimally. Finishes and materials were selected for low embodied energy and long-term durability, supporting a home that will adapt as the family’s needs evolve.

In a context where space is scarce and overdevelopment is common, Burnley House offers a grounded and thoughtful alternative. Defined not by spectacle but by subtlety and rigour, it reflects a deep understanding of site, family life and the potential of architecture to quietly elevate the everyday.

Architecture by Field Office Architecture. Build by Tykon. Landscape design by Alto Landscapes.