8 Yard House
A new house for a large family located on a double-fronted site in North Fitzroy with heritage overlay reflects Studio Bright’s ongoing desire to make adaptable family houses that connect as much as possible with the outdoors.
And so rather than have one singular backyard and the bulk of the house as one mass, the planning and spaces are distributed along the length of site punctuated with a series of variously sized outdoor courtyards.
To capture northern light, the living and dining spaces run along the southern edge of site with a main bedroom with its own courtyard bookending the front of site and a studio apartment at the rear. Aligning with the heritage requirements and urban grain, the front elevation follows the rhythm of the street and presents as two elements – a singular façade of perforated brick and then the entry point and windows.
Across the whole site are eight outdoor spaces, with the largest between the studio, garage and the main volume of the house. Centrally located, a pool becomes another landscape area either to use or to look across. Outdoor dining areas and a BBQ court run adjacent to the pool and also off the central living areas.
On the upper level is a roof garden with deep planter boxes and views overlooking the street and then minimally sized children’s bedrooms with study daybeds in a corridor with a double screen layer of planter boxes and privacy screens.
Overall, the architectural form is defined by an almost monumental brick construction detailed with perforations, rhythmic built-in columns and planter boxes, while at the upper level and in contrast to the brick, a finely detailed blue-grey aluminum is used for the screens and planter supports.
Studio Bright
Studio Bright (previously known as MAKE Architecture) is a Melbourne based practice creating enduring and responsive architecture for people and places. For us, every project is an opportunity to contribute in a positive and generous way to the social and built fabric of our cities. We approach challenges with optimism and consider how design can meet fundamental human needs.
And while the scale of our projects might shift, from residential, to civic, educational and multi-residential, each is bound by a sense of craft and considered detail. Often it’s here, where the bigger stories lie. At the most primary level, Studio Bright makes spaces. But we’re about much more than that—we’re about connecting individuals and communities, enriching daily life, and balancing rigour with joy, every step of the way.
