Eyelid House

In the inner city suburb of South Yarra, an earthy, solid looking Victorian terrace house features an extension that is at once bold and humble, forwardlooking and rustic. The salient feature of the extension, the Colorbond-clad ‘eyelid’, isn’t merely an appropriation of the pitched corrugated iron roofs of neighbouring heritage houses, but a testament to the architect’s interest in synthesizing randomness and order to craft a space that is natural and familiar. It is also a functional response to the site; blocking out the neighbouring apartment building and framing a view of the teal-green copper dome of the Melbourne Synagogue.

Architect Fiona Winzar believes in the importance of approaching each project without preconceptions or an agenda, except to invoke a sense of calm and comfort in a space that is individually tailored to the client. To Winzar’s design process, “listening is vital”. Perhaps few architects would disagree, but it’s not a common thing to find a structure which epitomises this sentiment to the extent of the Eyelid House.

Nowhere is this clearer than in the delicate detailing which evokes the client family’s memories of previous homes. The blue-green arrangement of stained glass elements in the front and rear façades are an echo of the family’s old country property. The subtle colour scheme, which alludes to water, sky, and the rolling hills in which their old home was nestled, is applied consistently but sparingly throughout the house, otherwise largely rendered in a palette of understated materials and finishes. For example, the Turkish tiled splashback is enough to suggest colour in an otherwise neutral space defined by the warm hue of Victorian ash, making the galley-style kitchen a more appropriate place for the client’s collection of old furniture.

The project is socially astute not only in its uncommon sensitivity and responsiveness to the client, but also in that it makes gentle suggestions on the way spaces ought to be used. Under the open tread stair in the kitchen is a bench or daybed of plywood doubling as a storage unit, which leads the visitor to another seating element in the courtyard. On another wall is a cantilevered concrete bench which encourages the family to commune by the fireplace.

The expressive structural detailing also contributes to this sense of welldefined space. The exposed structural steelwork and timber rafters are dark crisp forms in deliberate contrast to the building’s soft neutral palette, defining edges and in the case of the steel cchannels, housing the down-lighting fixtures. In addition, the load-bearing face concrete block walls of the extension are left exposed both on the inside and out, which together with the timber board pattern of the off-form concrete elements, gives the project an unpretentious, humane texture.

Framing the extension is the characteristic roof, the form of which was born out of a response to the many constraints of the site. The 215m2 site was part of a heritage overlay, restricting alterations to the terrace house frontage and any visual impact on the street view caused by extensions. Only the rear half of the house was demolished, giving the architect an area of 8 metres by 13 metres to build on, including the outdoor courtyard. Together with the 3 storey apartment and a separate 3 storey hotel adjacent to the site, this made it a challenge to create the homely calm atmosphere the clients desired.

The roof blocks out unwanted visual clutter and frames other elements of the landscape, allows for the collection of rainwater, selectively scoops in daylight through strips of double skin translucent roofing, and by virtue of its deep overhangs, helps eliminate the need for air conditioning by encouraging passive solar cooling. The eponymous eyelid form is perhaps the best indication of the architect’s aim to create a project that is “intimately site responsive”, which owes little to any preconceived style or ideal. +

PHOTOGRAPHY by Emma Cross, Gollings Photography

1 The unusual roof form is a direct response to the constraints posed by the site, and a way of seizing its opportunities. 2 The stained glass elements tie the extension to the client’s fond memories of their old country property. 3 Tessellated plywood panels highlight the interior of the eyelid roof form, melding the wall and ceiling together. 4 The joinery and stair treads are in Victorian Ash. As with the plywood panels in the ceiling, the architect was interested in creating a sense of surprise by using a consistent palette of materials but in slightly unexpected ways. 5 A large generous kitchen was another memorable feature of the client’s old home. This part of the extension is particularly well daylit, thanks to the unobtrusive open tread stair, open access to the outdoor courtyard, and the translucent roofing behind the kitchen work bench. Note also the exposed texture of the open face concrete block wall.