Architect: Steffen Welsch Architects Pty Ltd
Location: Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia
Builder: P & Jm Delelo Pty Ltd
Engineer: Maurice Farrugia & Associates
Building Surveyor: Metro Building Surveying
Energy Rater: Homestar
Project year: 3/2011 – 7/2012
Photographs: Rhiannon Slatter

A visual depiction of the exterior of the house highlighting the surrounding vegetation and greenery.

A specific segment of the residential property's external frontage, emphasizing its unique architectural design. — A specific segment of the residential property’s external frontage, emphasizing its unique architectural design.

An image capturing another distinct portion of the exterior frontal view of the residential property, intended to accentuate its exceptional architectural composition.

A photograph that captures a different, yet equally remarkable section of the residential property's exterior facade, intended to highlight its exceptional architectural composition. — A photograph that captures a different, yet equally remarkable section of the residential property’s exterior facade, intended to highlight its exceptional architectural composition.

An image that portrays the notable curved central portion of the residential property's external frontal view, highlighting its intricate architectural design that incorporates timber cladding, glass windows, and sliding glass doors. — An image that portrays the notable curved central portion of the residential property’s external frontal view, highlighting its intricate architectural design that incorporates timber cladding, glass windows, and sliding glass doors.

A photograph capturing the interior of the living room, which exhibits an inviting ambiance through its warm and cozy interior design.

A photograph that depicts the interior of the play area within the residential property.

A photograph that showcases the interior of the kitchen and dining area, seamlessly connected with the outdoor space through an adjacent sliding glass door that leads to the exterior.

A photograph that portrays the open entryway door, providing access to the kitchen area.

A photograph that showcases the interior of the residential property's kitchen island table and adjacent dining area. — A photograph that showcases the interior of the residential property’s kitchen island table and adjacent dining area.

A detailed photograph that highlights the interior design of the kitchen area.

A photograph that captures the curved wall on the upper level of the residential property, as viewed from the ground area.

An image that depicts the staircase within the residential property, providing access to a specific room or section of the house.

An image that depicts the enclosed lounge area within the residential property, characterized by a distinctive curved wall.

A photograph that presents an alternative viewpoint of the enclosed lounge area, featuring the prominent curved wall as its distinguishing feature.

An image that showcases the interior design of the study room within the residential property.

A photograph that features the interior design of a bedroom, accentuating the unique architectural element of four full-height individual glass windows.

A close-up photograph that highlights the bathtub within the bathroom of the residential property.

The perspective of the house's façade as depicted in a study or analysis. — The perspective of the house’s façade as depicted in a study or analysis.

An architectural drawing that outlines the floor plan of the residential property.

The draft design plan for the ground level of the house.

The Glen Iris House is a two storey modern extension to a Californian Bungalow on a good sized block in suburban Melbourne. The original weatherboard house sits on a sloping site and is elevated at the front and level with the ground at the back with no relationship to the outside.

When we visited the site for the first time we were immediately drawn to the beautiful leafy backyard that meandered down towards the house. The sloping land was terraced and formalised through dry stone walls: this gave us the inspiration to extend the old house by adding a new design that reflected the natural environment it was sitting in. As a result we developed a building that is terraced following the slope of the site and is directly linked to the backyard.

From the original house you step up into the dining room, and then up into the lounge, from the lounge outside onto a paved area. The paving is enclosed by a seat height dry stone wall that marks the enclosure of the built area. From there you step up onto the lawn making the backyard the destination of an upwards journey through the house.

The internal zoning is clear and simple. The old house at the front belongs to the children with three bedrooms, bathroom and a play area. From the children’s wing you enter the communal living areas on the new ground floor.

The dining room forms the centre of the residence and is separated from the lounge by the kitchen. On the first floor of the new building is the parents’ wing with master bedroom, dressing room, ensuite and study. From the master bedroom you can access a roof terrace that provides views over the backyard.

The clients chose us after having seen a few of our projects and were attracted to the quality of light, the different characters of varying spaces, the use of materials and detailing. As in all of our projects we paid attention to these aspects of the building: the light is balanced, we utilise the effect of shadows that the sun creates; the different relationships between spacers are explored: the dining room downstairs and study upstairs are connected through a void, the stair to the master bedroom is ‘hidden’ behind the kitchen giving a sense of privacy for the parents wing, dining and lounge are enclosed by a curved wall which in itself creates a communal outdoor dining area.

We paid attention to details: concrete sits against a timber floor, walls slip past each other and the external timber cladding is articulated in different ways. Building form and facade were developed to evoke the qualities of a tree and become part of the tree filled backyard itself. I have attached a few photos and some plans, I hope you like them.