Pop Up House by FIGR Architecture
Taking shape as a contemporary, family home, FIGR’s Pop-Up House engages the suburban garden in both materiality and form.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Tom Blachford
Photo: Tom Blachford
Photo: Tom Blachford
In Essendon — one of Melbourne’s outer suburbs — FIGR Architecture Studio use the structure of a suburban ‘pitched roof’ home with a ‘pop-up’ contemporary effect. The interactive home engages with the community, allowing for opportunities of interaction between inhabitants, passersby’s, and neighbours.
Avoiding the familiar trope of ‘filling the block’, FIGR consciously invites external spaces to dominate. ‘The upper volume of the building hovers above a landscaped mount that creates the beginning of a journey into the house,’ says the architects. ‘The hovering belly of the house creates an undercroft that guides the guests into the house through lush, landscaped gardens creating a multi-faceted zone in the front yard that can adapt and evolve in program/use.’
A dialogue of old and new begins at the entrance as two recycled brick walls flank this multipurpose space operating as a carport, an extension of the workshop and an informal entertaining area. For the clients — a young family of four — flexible space was essential for a home that would continue to serve for another 20 years.
‘With a modest budget and an ambitious brief, our clients were looking for a home that would evolve with their family, planning for and accommodating different demands at each stage,’ says FIGR director, Adi Atic. ‘They wanted an environment that could adapt to the needs of their young children as they grow up and provide the necessary programs to have a comfortable shared home.’
“Our approach was to create a home that seeks to discover opportunities in the often under utilised and forgotten.”
With 215 m2 of space at play, FIGR ensured that each space is carefully considered. A storage area, workshop and powder room lie within the underbelly of the home, plus a landscaped wedge that connects the spaces with views of the central courtyard. On the ground level, an open plan living kitchen, dining and living open out to the backyard to the east and the central courtyard to the west — entry found either through the side passage or informally through the mudroom and laundry, into the pantry and kitchen.
Up on the first level, the architects divided the space into two zones from a shared study that bridges between the main bedroom, ensuite and retreat, and the kid’s bedrooms, bathroom and linen. A net over the courtyard engages a sense of play that connects this grown-up home with the younger half of the family.
Another fun element engages the façade of the home, with operable screens that allow for managing solar access from the Western sun. Consistently through the design, the architects consider durability and sustainability — roof cladding in Surfmist Colorbond reduces heat build-up and solar panels; a 5000-litres water tank buried in the front yard; water capturing from the roof for toilet flushing and garden irrigation; thermal insulation in the walls, roof, floors, and thermally broken timber framed double glazed windows.
Throughout the home, the architects capture the light and connection to nature with timbers, exposed brick, internal courtyards, and large sliding doors to the garden. A deep green laminate also features against the paired back palette — inspired by inherited old leather chairs and the clients wish for interiors that would promote a sense of retreat and relaxation.
Photo: Tom Blachford
Photo: Tom Blachford
“Our clients felt their new home had to establish a dialogue with the context beyond the site boundary, creating a visually engaging public setting where neighbours and friends can be part of informal gatherings.”
