Inspired by a monolithic building halfway across the world, this home by architecture and design practice Powell & Glenn boasts a commanding concrete facade tethered to its sloping site

Tucked away in Melbourne’s cosmopolitan South Yarra, this architectural marvel by architecture and design firm Powell & Glenn offers a striking contribution to the streetscape, its facade presenting as a glass and concrete mass resting on an incline. Maximising the substantial ‘drop’ was integral to the execution of the project, says Ed Glenn, principal and director of Powell & Glenn. ‘We took advantage of the level changes across the site and were able to create a three-storey home that reads as two.’ The considerable drop at street level allowed for space to accommodate a garage, wine cellar, laundry, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The homeowners have an affinity with one of the architecture firm’s earlier projects, the iconic TarraWarra Museum of Art in the Yarra Valley, and approached Powell & Glenn to design their own home based on a similar set of aesthetic principles. Avid travellers keen to downsize, they were also inspired by the landmark Barnes Foundation Building in Philadelphia, especially the public gallery’s monumental form, structural tectonic plates and relationship to the outdoors. Visually, the structure resonated with the architects too. In what would become a deeply collaborative project, the homeowners welcomed a process of pushing boundaries that would result in a home that could, as Glenn says, ‘confidently stand on its own’. ‘If you pare back the furniture and artwork, we wanted to create a home where the architecture could sing,’ he says.

Rather than deferring to the typical open-plan footprint associated with contemporary Australian living, the clients were keen to explore movement through defined spaces and generous volumes without the use of doors. This involved creating a ‘dialogue’ between spaces, says Glenn. ‘Each room feels connected yet slightly removed, enabling connection and conversation as required, or peace and quiet for moments of seclusion,’ he explains. The kitchen, at the heart of the floorplan, is framed by two living areas, while a courtyard garden separates the dining room from the informal living area.

The home’s relationship and connection to nature was crucial to the overall vision, from the garden-wall entry with lacy, wispy vines to the internal paved courtyard that’s complemented by planter boxes, trees and shrubbery. With its unruly glossy landscaping, the natural environment balances out the tough linearity of the building. ‘With careful consideration for positioning and space planning, each room delicately pivots around this central space, using greenery to visually connect every room,’ says Glenn.

The interior palette is muted, its warm and inviting finishes juxtaposed with raw, industrial materials. Stained oak joinery, venetian plaster detailing and American oak flooring is offset by engineered glass, steel, brass, concrete and stone — a contrast that works to great effect, cultivating a ‘raw yet fined’ expression that Glenn says is central to the success of the home. ‘There is genuine beauty when natural elements are paired with polished.’

Text / Carli Philips
Images / Sharyn Cairns