Project: Three Parts House ft. Austral Bricks
The clinker brick houses built for the prosperous, post-war middle class are much loved for their solidity and character-filled facades. Less endearing are their frequently dim interiors and labyrinthine corridors.
This family home in a Melbourne middle-ring suburb was no exception.“The interior was a rabbit warren, there was no entry space, and the corridors were deep and dark with lots of doorways,” recalls Albert Mo, director and co-founder (and the “A”) of Architects EAT.
It has been dubbed the Three Parts House because, well, it’s in three parts.The rear half of the existing two-storey house was demolished and the interior reprogrammed to relieve the corridor and doorway congestion. It’s called The Lantern, for reasons we will come to. To the back is a new build,The Brickhouse, which accommodates living, dining, kitchen and laundry facilities. Linking the two is The Courtyard, an open yet private area underpinned by a three car basement.
Possibly the most startling change to the existing house, and the primary reason for it being dubbed The Lantern, are massive glass walls that separate it from the courtyard and also continue along part of the western elevation. No ordinary glass, these are U-section vertical panels imported from Germany that nest to form a pocketed double skin.
The terracotta colour bricks were carefully chosen for their ten-core pattern, which allows ventilation while retaining privacy.“Because of the location it doesn’t need glass behind it or another screen for weatherproofing,” says Albert.“If the owner wants to ventilate the garage,” James Coombe adds,“they open a large pivot door and air pulls up through the bricks and they open a door on the other side. It works perfectly.”
The owners lived in the house for over six years and seriously considered demolishing the entire house and rebuilding before committing to this major extension program. This was especially brave in light of the recent construction of the neighbouring apartments which replaced a handsome older house on the large corner block.
This family home in a Melbourne middle-ring suburb was no exception.“The interior was a rabbit warren, there was no entry space, and the corridors were deep and dark with lots of doorways,” recalls Albert Mo, director and co-founder (and the “A”) of Architects EAT.
It has been dubbed the Three Parts House because, well, it’s in three parts.The rear half of the existing two-storey house was demolished and the interior reprogrammed to relieve the corridor and doorway congestion. It’s called The Lantern, for reasons we will come to. To the back is a new build,The Brickhouse, which accommodates living, dining, kitchen and laundry facilities. Linking the two is The Courtyard, an open yet private area underpinned by a three car basement.
Possibly the most startling change to the existing house, and the primary reason for it being dubbed The Lantern, are massive glass walls that separate it from the courtyard and also continue along part of the western elevation. No ordinary glass, these are U-section vertical panels imported from Germany that nest to form a pocketed double skin.
The terracotta colour bricks were carefully chosen for their ten-core pattern, which allows ventilation while retaining privacy.“Because of the location it doesn’t need glass behind it or another screen for weatherproofing,” says Albert.“If the owner wants to ventilate the garage,” James Coombe adds,“they open a large pivot door and air pulls up through the bricks and they open a door on the other side. It works perfectly.”
The owners lived in the house for over six years and seriously considered demolishing the entire house and rebuilding before committing to this major extension program. This was especially brave in light of the recent construction of the neighbouring apartments which replaced a handsome older house on the large corner block.
