Elsternwick Penthouse / Workplace Alex Nicholls

Elsternwick Penthouse / Workplace Alex Nicholls

Textual content description supplied by the architects. The mission concerned combining two penthouse flats, their respective automobile parking, rooftops, and exterior areas to create a singular inter-generational household residence with an abundance of versatile dwelling and dealing areas, a basement rehabilitation spa, and two rooftop sukkah pavilions.

The primary in a sequence of key ideas is the ‘library backbone’ working your entire size of the condominium housing the household’s assortment of books, artwork, and artifacts. The library backbone can also be used to rejoice the doorway foyer and outline each the horizontal circulation and the vertical circulation because the joinery is embedded into the staircase.

The second key idea is a sequence of ‘magic field’ kitchens which are extremely useful but minimal volumes, that open and shut and delineate the completely different zones of the condominium. They’re outlined by their summary colours that sit in distinction to an in any other case heat and pure materials palette. The usage of coloured objects is repeated within the lavatory stonework, fireplaces, and bespoke furnishings items.

The third intervention is a sequence of semi-circular oculus skylights, which rejoice the 2 predominant dwelling areas and reference the shopper’s ardour for the native Artwork Deco structure of the neighborhood. This pure geometry furthers the summary composition given by the coloured volumes. The theme can also be referenced all through the condominium with smaller semi-circular and round oculus the place pure mild was wanted.

To the east of the condominium are the primary lively social areas together with the primary kitchen dwelling and eating, while the west of the condominium is much less formal and conducive to enjoyable with an inside/exterior lounge coined the ‘Night Backyard’. The condominium can also be loosely outlined by generational strains with the Western finish offering privateness between the youthful family members and the extra senior. Lastly, the condominium can also be future-proofed to permit for splitting in two later down the monitor if required.

Downstairs the spa makes use of what was a basement automobile park, to create a personal wellness house together with a health pool, sauna, kitchenette, change rooms, and a versatile rehabilitation space. Though a subterranean house with no pure mild, the cautious use of atmospheric oblique lighting, heat colours, and pure supplies offers a holistic restorative expertise in likening to a Finnish sauna or Japanese Onsen.

On the rooftop, two ‘sukkah’ pavilions present semi-enclosed cooking, dinning, and gathering areas through the pageant of Sukkot, and double up as basic out of doors dwelling areas to be used year-round. The minimal buildings are extremely operable with shade partitions and bamboo canopies. The pavilions are set inside an expansive out of doors space with curvilinear planters lining the perimeter and foliage that gives a way of privateness and respite from the wind while additionally permitting views out.