By Michael Ong Design Office
Following closely to our clients' lifestyle and philosophy to food and productive gardening, Garden Studio is a free standing "extension" that provides to their family needs without compromising their love of gardening. It does so by providing a vertical garden on one of it's external walls.
The ground floor contains the garage and workshop area, instead of closing this space up and creating the typical large and dark garage space, we opted to line the walls in exposed light grey painted studio with a diffused polycarbonate sheeting. Creating a naturally illuminated space internally, ideal for a workshop, however even on it's own, the sheeting lets in a soften view on the surrounding garden creating quite a peaceful and contemplating space in itself.
The first floor home office looks over the existing house and garden, the room is orientated north and a large sliding door allows the garden to be invited in when fully opened.
Returning to the garden, a skin of powder coated mesh creepers is added to the north facade, this lace like structure creepers the skin for the existing garden, so instead of compromising on a smaller 'horizontal' garden, we shifted it all up to a vertical surface, which wraps the north and east facade of the new addition.
Photographer: MODO
Michael Ong graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2009 with a Masters of Architecture.
Michael Ong has won the Intergrain Timber Vision Award for Peppercorn House (residential category), has been named in Italian Architectural Journal CASABELLA as one of its international architects under 30, The Guardian listed Michael as one of the upcoming architects and is the SOYA Award winner for the Architecture and Interior Category.
Michael’s work has been published both nationally and internationally. Most notably, his conceptual silo regeneration work in MARK magazine, Dwell Asia ( where he was selected as one of the seven experts to discuss the future of design), Monument and HOUSES magazine to name a few.
Michael Ong Design Office is an award winning architecture studio based in Melbourne, Australia.
Our design process is driven by a strong focus on quality and the benefits of good design. A process which is grounded by thoughtful design ideas and rigorous analysis of site, context and brief.
Our buildings create spaces to form intimate and highly responsive connections between its landscape, building and inhabitants. We are excited by the simplicity and beauty of everyday spaces and objects, and we explore concepts that turn the ordinary and common into rich, textured and expressive.
At every scale, we greet each project with an open mind and our innate sense of design curiosity to realise buildings that are enriching and inspiring. We always collaborate with our clients brief and budget to realise a thoughtful, unique, complete project.
“Michael’s first home shows a real feeling for space and materials. His silo project and in particular his experimental kitchen is indicative of his need to explore design.” – Brian Zulaikha [former president of Australian Institute of Architects and director of TZG Architects]”