This Concrete House, Composed of living spaces to the north and sleeping-utility spaces to the south, Concrete House utilities vertical connections and void spaces to provide strong visual connections between levels. Formally simple, lofty and airy, the main spaces are reminiscent of mid century modernist material and composition qualities (particularly Brazilian modernism). Vertical and horizontal material connections are woven through the interiors and are composed utilizing a purity of volume and geometric form.
Concrete House Designs With Modernist Material
The client, a builder and specialist in masonry was keen to utilize a concrete and stone palette externally. These materials along with a generous utilization of naturally finished timber became the determining elements of both the Concrete house’ architecture and interior.
These provide a series of haptic textures that effect a powerful contrast against the smooth and more polished nature of glass and steel. Concrete House Is a Winner Of Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards 2015: Best Residential Design & Readers Choice Award.
Concrete Home Fact File:
- Architects: Matt Gibson Architecture
- Location: Melbourne VIC, Australia
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: Derek Swalwell
- Project Team: Matt Gibson, Brett Stonehouse, Weian Lim, Claire Monahan, Angela Hopkins
- Collaborator: Eckersley Garden Architecture
Concrete House Design Concept:
This concrete house site in Hampton – is north orientated and virtually square in dimension, with a tennis court doglegged at the rear. It resides amongst a neighborhood of sizable blocks, within an eclectic mix of mostly detached houses.
The positioning of the concrete house building on the site was dictated by a 10m frontage set back. In order to gain maximum northern exposure and to maximize the rear POS an east-west band is positioned as far forward as possible offering the most responsive footprint.
Designed to forge a direct relationship between inside and outside the concrete house, contains 2 longitudinal zones of space located to the north and south of an east-west spine. Living to the north and Sleeping to the south. These spaces are organized about a central entry corridor, that bisects the front elevation almost symmetrically.
On the ground level whilst only a very small element of the building is located on the boundary, a decision was made to run an essentially opaque screen from boundary to boundary (aiding privacy) with a clearly designated steel ‘shrouded’ entry.
This wall (just below street level) acts as a recessive platform over which the cantilevered first floor perches and takes prominence.
Concrete Home Elevation Design:
The tapered concrete form provides a lens to maximize views to both front (over the newly landscaped Rick Eckersley garden), and rear (toward the city) whilst east, and west elevations are windowless and restrict sight lines to neighbors.
At ground level the Kitchen and Master Bed, on the east have views and access onto secluded garden breezeways. The rear elevation follows a similar story, The front albeit with an open ground plane, And accentuated eave protection to both levels of the northern living spaces.
House Planning with Concrete:
Internally, the Concrete house is designed to reveal a sequence of spaces, Combining compactness and expansiveness. From the confined aperture of the front door one immediately encounters a double height roof, Lit entry gallery with little indication of what’s beyond.
A descent through a further compressed opening reveals an expansive Living area, A wall of concealable glazing that frames unadulterated access to the rear garden and pool.
Concrete House Interior Design:
The main living spaces are left formally simple-lofty and airy. Vertical and horizontal material connections are woven, Through the interiors and are composed (as is the exterior) with a purity of volume and form.
White plaster is used for practical purposes interspersed amongst timber, stone, steel and concrete allowing a natural backdrop for the clients’ lifestyle, furniture and artwork.
The more intimate rooms continue this haptic theme (leather in the Master Bed for example), meeting the clients need for honest, practical and comfort driven interiors.
With nods to the desired mid century modernist brief the compositional palette, along with use of the clients specially sourced stone on the exterior, is designed specific to client needs.
Modern Concrete House Pictures:
Whilst there is significant scale in some concrete house spaces, the contemporary concrete house is highly organized and space efficient, with clear zoning that supports both family life and individual privacy. Of particular satisfaction for us is that, this concrete house is designed specifically as a beautiful backdrop to this family’s life, Blending art, landscape and natural comfort.