A trio of pavilions in Melbourne’s southeast explore the interplay between the raw and the refined, resulting in a tactile and enduring family home.
Pandolfini Architects conceived Glen Iris House as a composition of three-dimensional objects designed to interact with one another based on their unique materiality. The palette, comprising raw and refined materials, accentuates the robust forms while injecting a sense of balance into the spaces.
The outside of the house is marked by two rectangular boxes stacked on top of one another, prompting Pandolfini Architects’ founding director Dominic Pandolfini to describe it as “a sculptural addition to the streetscape, its abstract facade providing little indication of what lies within.”
The top box is clad in terracotta bricks, each laid vertically and rotated outwards on a 45-degree angle, allowing the dappled light of the surrounding trees to dance across their surface. The bottom box is lined with patinated copper cylinders – a feature that can be fully appreciated once inside the house while observing the light as it gently filters through the gaps.
The house comprises three pavilions; a barn-like structure in the centre, which houses the main living spaces, and two smaller structures on either side, one housing the private spaces and the other accommodating the owner’s cars. The brief was to evoke a sense of journeying through the different volumes, which Pandolfini Architects have achieved through glazed links.
The kitchen, characterised by a soft palette of American oak veneer and Signorino travertine, features the grazia&co Dita stool, Vola tapware, and Miele and Wolf appliances.
A curved breakfast nook constructed from travertine enjoys a view of the adjacent garden. The space features the In Good Company Marcel dining table.
The interior of the main pavilion is characterised by a combination of both soft and hard materials, namely, American oak veneer, spotted gum battens, bush-hammered concrete, travertine and hard plaster. The juxtaposition of these materials, particularly that created by the raw, heavily textured concrete arches, creates a simple yet striking centre for family life. Dominic aptly describes this part of the house as “an exposed skeleton of robust ribs and a delicate interior within.”
To the left of the space sits a curved breakfast nook, which, as a result of extensive glazing, enjoys a view of the adjacent garden. To the right of the space sits the kitchen, the shape of which coincides with the curves of the roof. Closer to the entrance, at the centre of the floorplan, lies the dining and living spaces separated by a striking sculptural fireplace.
The motif of archways establishes a strong visual link between the home’s interior and exterior while also fulfilling the brief for a connection to the outdoors, given the archways often frame views of the garden. Pandolfini have experimented with various shapes – upside-down, narrow, wide – and materials – terracotta brick, steel, concrete – making the gesture all the more engaging.
The main pavilion is anchored by a sculptural fireplace made of brick, patinated copper and hard plaster.
The living space features the Edra Standard sofa, Gubi 9602 floor lamp and Gubi Epic coffee table in 80 Steel.
While living spaces are clad in travertine tiles from Signorino, the private spaces are clad in carbonised oak floorboards from Woodcut. A curved staircase marks this transition.
The travertine-clad bathroom features the Articolo Slab wall sconce. Here, the archway motif is expressed in a unique way: upside-down and segmented.
Pandolfini Architects chose Bisazza’s Delhi Mosaic Blend tiles for the pool.
The motif of archways establishes a strong visual link between the home’s interior and exterior.
The owners requested a dedicated space for their car collection, which now forms an integral part of the home itself.
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