Skygarden by Architecture Architecture

Situated on a compact block in Melbourne’s Albert Park, flanked by terraces on either side, Skygarden by Architecture Architecture echoes the surrounding lush landscape by way of pocket gardens and floor-to-ceiling windows that blur the line between indoors and outdoors.

Skygarden was conceived as a bridge between the terrestrial and celestial, drawing inspiration from the colour fields of abstract art, the hanging gardens of Babylon and the atmospheric skyscapes of noted American light artist James Turrell. “In some cultures, it is thought that certain geometries are a bridge to the spiritual world; a window to the infinite above. Similarly, practitioners of abstract art seek to liberate composition and colour from the realms of the known,” says Michael Roper, director of Architecture Architecture, about the otherworldly aesthetic lexicon.

Skygarden was conceived as a bridge between the terrestrial and celestial, drawing inspiration from the colour fields of abstract art, the hanging gardens of Babylon and the atmospheric skyscapes of noted American light artist James Turrell.

By the same token, the 132-square-metre home is overarched by three pigmented light shafts – each respectively emblazoned with handmade Moroccan tiles in pink, blue and green – which summon sunlight deep inside. These skylights are rooted in a plural sense of purpose. In addition to diffusing colourful waves of light, they also connect the two levels, promoting natural light and cross ventilation across both the vertical and horizontal axes. “In the course of a day, each of the shafts passes through phases of luminance and shadow, bathing the house in an ever-changing wash of mixed hues,” suggests Roper. To ensure the skylights took centrestage, the floor and wall treatments were pared down to a bare minimum.

The spaces, and so too the storeys, are at once connected and disconnected. The lower level accommodates the kitchen, dining and living areas, which each operate independently but also form part of a cohesive whole. The distinctions are writ large by a variation in ceiling geometries, floor levels and material changes, as also by incongruous ceiling heights that distinguish one space from another. High ceilings indicate entertainment areas, while lower ones are synonymous with intimate spaces. Similarly, the upper level is recessed from the street, leaving room for an additional roof deck that coalesces into the streetscape. “The open ground floor allows for leisure and entertainment, while the second storey permits a sense of quiet privacy and enclosure,” says Roper.

“In some cultures, it is thought that certain geometries are a bridge to the spiritual world; a window to the infinite above. Similarly, practitioners of abstract art seek to liberate composition and colour from the realms of the known,” says Michael Roper, director of Architecture Architecture, about the otherworldly aesthetic lexicon.

In an effort to integrate passive design, Architecture Architecture situated the kitchen and dining spaces on a heated concrete slab whose thermal mass helps keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter. In another nod to the environment, there was an emphasis on assimilating the outdoors through integrated planting, aerial planters and mirrored walls that reflect the landscape. For what was once a home starved of space and light, the final version has plenty of both.

Architecture and interior design by Architecture Architecture. Build by Title Building Projects. Landscape design by Renata Fairhall.