Architecture

A Triumphant, Textural Home In Armadale

Many local homes tend to have a certain ‘style’… but today’s inspired residential project truly looks like no other home we’ve seen in Melbourne!

Resembling something like a sandcastle version of a Luis Barragán building, with a decent pinch of Japanese/Scandinavian minimalist thrown in, B.E Architecture‘s Armadale House has a distinctly global feel.

Written
by
Lucy Feagins

Textured facade. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

‘It is often challenging to balance a clean-lined architectural aesthetic with its function as a practical living space for the residents.’ Photo – Derek Swalwell.

‘Like any building that looks effortlessly simple, there is a great deal of work that goes into getting that right.’ Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Welcome to the Armadale Residence! Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Interior details. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

‘Often we talk about the importance of collaboration in design and building, and the end result at the Armadale Residence is a testament to that notion.’  Photo – Derek Swalwell.

The building can open up in the warmer months. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Lux details. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Interior details feature lux textures and a rich, dramatic colour palette. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Kitchen and living. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Stair detail. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Bedroom detail. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Reading nook. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

‘We began by looking at solid stone slabs, benches and window details and eventually came to consider more unexpected elements, such as the bath and basins.’ Photo – Derek Swalwell.

The house is a dynamic site which changes according to changes in the day and the seasons. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Granite window sill echoes the building’s exterior. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

‘We wanted the house to be protected and solid from the street view, and sought out a material that reinforced this idea.’ Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Green meets granite. Photo – Derek Swalwell.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
28th of March 2018

This innovative and envy-inducing home is the work of Melbourne based practice, B.E Architecture. Andrew Piva, B.E Architecture director, explains that the firm has a holistic approach to design, offering services in architecture, interiors and landscaping.

The most distinctive feature of this particular project is its arresting textural façade. Rough stonework (260 tons of granite, to be exact) provides a unique sculptural quality, as the architects ‘approached the form as though it was a solid piece of rough stone that has been carefully cut away.’  This theme continues inside the house too, seen in a series of robust stone benches, basins and bathrooms .

Despite its rugged outward appearance, this home is light, bright and relaxed. A triumphant floorplan ensures good cross ventilation, every room has a strong connection to the outdoors, and lush, mossy landscaping softens all the hard edges.

The strong materiality of the exterior is counterbalanced by rich, lux textures inside the home – leather, velvet and reflective metals lend the home a distinctly luxurious feel. Mind you – ‘liveability’ was a major part of this brief – this is a home to be lived in, not admired from a distance!  ‘Although all elements of architecture, interiors, art, landscaping have been carefully considered, there is an overall relaxed feel.’ Andrew confirms.

The clean lines and gentle luxury here conceal a deceptively sophisticated design and build process. ‘Like any building that looks effortlessly simple, there is a great deal of work that goes into getting that right’ Andrew admits.

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