A unique opportunity to reimagine a familiar space reveals an architect’s
Interiors and architecture practice
The apartment is situated within a heritage-listed Brutalist-style building finished in 1972 with views of Parliament House and Yuncken Freeman’s State Government Offices. March Studio initially left their mark on the building in 2016 when they gave the lobby a much-needed facelift, so this time, it was like reuniting with an old friend.
The new homeowners personally requested Rodney and Anne-Laure redesign the apartment for them, knowing they’d lived in the apartment for nine years. Although sad to part with it, the silver lining was that they got to re-experience it in a different light. In this sense, Spring Street represents a rather unusual client-architect relationship, where the client is carrying on the architect’s legacy. Presented with a unique opportunity to reimagine a space that they had intimate knowledge of, Rodney and Anne-Laure’s connection to place allowed them to formulate a clear design solution.
Walking into the apartment, you first notice the silver-lined ceiling, which effectively renders all the contents of the apartment twofold. It’s no coincidence that the ceiling of the train station several storeys below is inlaid with the same polished aluminium panels. “Parliament Station is one of my favourite stations in the world,” Rodney says, “it’s indicative of the 70s optimism that was prevalent at the time, where architects were introducing reflective materials.”
Rodney likens the material palette to famous Brutalist buildings, like London’s Barbican. “The key to balancing a harsh exterior is creating a warm, textural interior,” he says. Heavy timbers, manifested in the dining table and joinery, are offset by a brilliant blue lacquer. And this is not the only unlikely duo; this residence might be the only exception to the universal rule, ‘don’t mix
Living this high up certainly has its perks; the view being one of them. To the west, there’s the city and to the east, on a clear day, the Dandenong Ranges and as the sun rises and sets, it ignites an evolving story of light in the process. This story doesn’t just end with the day; at night, Spring Street becomes awash with neon lights as Melbourne morphs into a city of stars.
This feature originally appeared in est Magazine Issue 45: Sense of Place.
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