A Central Focus – Elwood Bungalow by Rob Kennon Architects
Centred around its own over-scaled courtyard space, Elwood Bungalow takes inspiration from the unexpected and carves into the whole, instead of building mass outward. Rob Kennon Architects draws on a restrained simplicity to balance the overt and generous sweeping geometric gestures on site.
Located in the residentially-rich enclave of Elwood in Melbourne’s south, the home of the same name extends an existing heritage-era bungalow, taking a non-conventional approach in breathing new life and expanding its relevance. While homes are typically conceived from the inside out, Elwood Bungalow is imagined as a series of spaces that support the living aspects of the home, centred around an open and breathing axis. Instead of building mass from the centre and working outwards, the mass of the extension hugs the bounding site edges and carves outdoor space from within. Mimicking an approach used in traditional sundial-type structures, where the large and expressive shadows move through and across space throughout the day, the central radial shape allows an open connection with light, ventilation and nature, spilling into the home.
A close collaboration, Elwood Bungalow is built by Richard Tate Construction, with landscape design by Eckersley Garden Architecture. As a single-story extension, the addition aims to add quality and unique space, responding to the needs of the family that inhabits its walls. Within the square mass added to the rear of the existing home, a circular form inserts valuable green space and acts as a key extension of the living spaces, facilitating a natural cross-over of function. The landscape plays a vital role in the functioning of the home, with every outdoor area playing its part. While the courtyard is play, retreat and gathering space, the front yard is also intended for common use, as a secondary and separate area of the home.
The form takes inspiration from Roy Grounds’ Hill Street House, interpreted in its own way, connecting to the context and the site’s history. Through a weighted materiality, there is a permanence embedded into the addition, firmly planting the new as an important evolution of the old. Mixing light and natural elements, the materiality and palette connects with ease to the natural elements and to the crafted history of the home, without distracting from it. Masonry walls, exposed walls and polished concrete floors comprise the new, together with painted brick, adding subtle texture against the more expressive light timber elements.
Through a deliberate and measured restraint, the expressive elements of Elwood Bungalow both celebrate the new volumes and make significant the connections between inside and out, seeing Rob Kennon Architects has sculpted both an individual and identifiable home in the process.
