Sunday by Architecture architecture
Sunday, by Architecture architecture, is a home designed for physical and psychological well-being – providing a diversity of spaces, complete with feature breeze-blocks, which fill the home with air flow and natural light.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Tom Ross
Breeze-blocks allow natural daylight and air flow into the home. Photo: Tom Ross
The feature breeze-blocks provide textural detail to the home. Photo: Tom Ross
The sunken lounge in a pop of bold yellow! Photo: Tom Ross
The bold yellow colour featured throughout is a nod to the owners’ shared love of Mexican architect Luis Barragán. Photo: Tom Ross
Accessing the bedroom requires walking across the open-air courtyard, providing a retreat from the house. Photo: Tom Ross
The bedroom is complete with a private bathroom, which includes a dreamy yellow bathtub. Photo: Tom Ross
The main bedroom located across the outdoor walkway. Photo: Tom Ross
‘Sunday is a home for physical and psychological well-being, providing a diversity of spaces where occupants can always find a place of comfort: social spaces and private spaces; generous spaces and intimate spaces; spaces to gather and spaces to retreat,’ says Architecture architecture director, Michael Roper.
Designed by Architecture architecture, Sunday successfully captures a sense of both openness and diversity, creating an atmosphere that is simultaneously intimate and communal.
Nestled on a narrow site in Fitzroy, Melbourne, the 70-square-metre house, built on a 175-square-metre block, is far from your typical cottage renovation, featuring a central courtyard, and interiors punctuated by breeze-blocks that fill the home with airflow and natural light.
The home has been transformed into a series of cohesive pockets, encouraging retreating, relaxing and socialising. Chequering the plan into seperate zones gives rise to a spectrum of livable conditions including spaces which cater to different needs at different times of the day.
‘Given the small size of the site, concerns of “separation” and “connection'“ are key. Breeze-block walls demarcate the various zones of the house, yet permit light, breeze and glimpse views. Similarly, north facing clerestory windows permit abundant light while their obscure glazing conceals views of the neighbouring two storey house that would otherwise loom over the property,’ says Michael.
The different pockets are further reinforced by the ceiling plane: lofty and raked over the generous zones; low and flat over the intimate zones, where space is contained and bodily. This geometry is continuous across the length of the extension, with expressed beams, clerestory glazing and concrete pavers connecting the communal, outdoor and private realms.
Ideal for unwinding, the sunken lounge in a vibrant yellow hue provides a retreat from the more communal living room, while the ensuite bathroom in the private bedroom boasts a matching yellow bathtub that offers a view of the courtyard's lush greenery.
Materially, natural textures have been brought to the fore, with minimal surface treatments allowing the house to develop its own patina over time.
‘Our clients have an interest in the works of Geoffrey Bawa and one was raised in a Paul Couch house, establishing in them an affinity for robust materials, muted palettes, clear geometries and spaces sculpted by light. And yet, they also have a love of yellow, inspired by Luis Barragán,’ says Michael. Both influences have been formative in the design of Sunday.
“Given the small size of the site, concerns of ‘separation’ and ‘connection’ are key. Breeze-block walls demarcate the various zones of the house, yet permit light, breeze and glimpse views.”
The sunken lounge provides a space to retreat. Photo: Tom Ross
‘The homeowners are more conscious of the weather, which plays a role in the daily experience of home life: wet weather requires a quick dash across the courtyard,’ says Michael Roper. Photo: Tom Ross
