As their first family home in Brunswick, Melbourne, and a place their children had grown up in, this house had a lot of memories for Heidi and Craig. Now that their three sons are teenagers, the single-fronted residence no longer suited their needs. However, rather than sell and move, the couple chose to reimagine the house and make it fit them. With the help of Austin Maynard Architects, Union House is now a playful and vertically sophisticated family home.
“Attached as we were to the place, rather than sell up and move elsewhere, we decided to engage the services of an architect who understood the challenges of building in the inner city, with limited space, restricted access and proximity of neighbouring residences,” say homeowners Heidi and Craig.
At the heart of this vertically sophisticated home, a perforated, black steel staircase connects all levels
Union House is a new build, however, Austin Maynard Architects and the homeowners chose to retain, restore and incorporate the original cottage facade to preserve the memories. But the new home does not hide; rather, there are layers of one epoch on top of another, above the original Dutch gable. Inside, the home was completely reconfigured, resulting in a playful and surprising multi-level space with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, a basement rumpus room, a roof deck and carpet, all on the narrow 5.5m-wide block. Split levels and ramps, hidden slopes, concealed steps, bookcase walls that split apart, sliding walls, voids and openings create a dynamic space where rooms are blurred, fluid and flexible.
“Union House is an example of people literally living on top of each other and that part of the joy of the house; despite being narrow and stacked, the home never feels cramped as spaces are designed to merge into each other in various and sometimes surprising configurations,” says Andrew Maynard of Austin Maynard Architects.
Exposed Cross Laminated Timber became a key material that unifies the interior of the home. The natural, light texture of the material is ideal for this home’s small spaces
At the heart of the home is a perforated black steel staircase that spirals through the four levels with a Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) volume that also raises the height of the home. The exposed CLT became a key material that unifies the interior of the house. Equitone, generally used as an external cladding, was used to construct the cupboard doors. Glass floor panels allow sunlight to stream directly into the basement, while another unique material was the blue “cartoonish” moulded fibreglass in the boys’ bathroom.
This home incorporates playful design concepts with split levels and ramps, hidden slopes, concealed steps, bookcase walls that split apart, sliding walls, voids and openings, providing multiple avenues to move around the home.
Known for playful ideas, Austin Maynard Architects met its match with the owners of Union House and from this, endless creative ideas resulted. Throughout the design process, the homeowners suggested a “back-up plan” to the winding staircase. “A ramp, a glazed trap door, a series of climbing holds and nets enable this energetic family to clamber up the walls without ever interacting with the stairs,” says Andrew.
Outdoor space has not been forgotten in this vertical home. The rooftop deck provides the perfect place to relax and take in the neighbourhood’s lush surroundings
“We now live in a harmonious space with real utility, coordinating our work, study and leisure activities … the house engages with us in ways that are subtle and dynamic; it has its own sense of humour. Mostly though, as many have pointed out to us, although radically transformed, this is a house that still possesses the essential character of our first Melbourne home,” say Heidi and Craig.
