Fostering Community – Skye House by Breathe Architecture

Located at number one Duckett Street, Skye House by Breathe Architecture acts as the entry threshold to Nightingale Village in Melbourne’s inner north. Defined by a set of grand archways tracking its façade, it confidently sets the tone for the recently completed precinct embedded in environmental and social sustainability.

“Brunswick is a suburb I’ve lived in on and off for ten years,” says Madeleine Sewall, Director of Houses at Breathe and resident of Skye House – one of six multi-residential buildings in the precinct. She adds, “it’s a part of Melbourne I feel really connected to so when an opportunity came up to buy, I was excited to invest.” As a resident of the building that she had a hand in designing, Madeleine attests to Skye House’s strong sense of community and her lived experience of the sustainable principles embedded in the project’s identity.

As a resident of the building that she had a hand in designing, Madeleine attests to Skye House’s strong sense of community and her lived experience of the sustainable principles embedded in the project’s identity.

Sky House’s form is dynamic; the first three floors of the building sit hard up to the footpath whilst the floors above sit back from the street. Not only does this stepped-back structure aid in reducing both visual bulk and the wind tunnel effect, but the apartments on the fourth floor enjoy deep, north-facing terraces as a result. Madeleine’s home is one such apartment, and she has enjoyed establishing a garden with “lots of bird and bee-friendly flowers and plants”. Inside, the materiality is pared back and, in line with Nightingale’s reductionist approach to interiors, the form is beautiful in its rudimentary nature with recycled hardwood floorboards, FSC-certified veneer and orbital finish stainless steel throughout.

Breathe has employed various tactics to delineate rooms without unnecessary clutter. For example, the wall of joinery housing the pantry and Fisher & Paykel refrigerator acts as a room divider; “it looks like a piece of furniture,” Madeleine says. She adds, “when you’re working with small apartments it’s important to maximise the space, so we love that Fisher & Paykel appliances are seamlessly integrated into the joinery. This gives you flexibility in how you arrange the space and make it your own.”

“When you’re working with small apartments it’s important to maximise the space, so we love that Fisher & Paykel appliances are seamlessly integrated into the joinery. This gives you flexibility in how you arrange the space and make it your own.”

In addition to Fisher & Paykel’s space saving solutions and design-forward approach, its commitment to sustainability is fitting for this environmentally conscious project. “When we think about sustainability, we think about a highly efficient building shell, and an embedded energy network connected to 100 per cent certified green power,” Madeleine explains, adding, “importantly, these buildings are 100 per cent fossil free in operations so there’s no gas plumbed into the buildings and the Fisher & Paykel induction cooktop is a really key part of that.”

Pleasingly, Madeleine’s experience of Skye House is layered, and the sense of community that permeates this is significant. As she says, “being a part of the Village has amplified that feeling of being connected to a community. I have so many people in my immediate proximity that I can call for favours and catch up with last minute, and living on my own for the first time, that makes a big difference.”