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Project by
Location
Kew East, Victoria
Year of completion
2018
Building style
Modern

Looking to the future, the clients required a house capable of a multi-generational family dynamic including their teenage children, Timba the dog and older parents who frequently visit from overseas but will eventually join them permanently. Located on a complex site with a very steep fall down towards the street with strict council setbacks, resulting in the house is being recessed on the slope. The banded fascias fold and rake, vertically and horizontally, braiding the building into the streetscape. The functional spaces are layered within this fabric. Externally, the materials are selected for their robust and tonal hue responding to the huge eucalypts enveloping the site and the other beautiful native flora around the Kew Billabong and Yarra Rivers beyond. With the park and Yarra Trail opposite, the requirement for large outdoor areas became less of a priority and prompted defined, and functional interior living spaces that always maintained a visual connection with the scenery beyond. All these living zones have direct access to natural light and cross ventilation with room-to-room movement, at the first level over the garage and internal granny flat. The private areas on this level, separated by the main corridor, include the master bedroom and an additional formal living area which can be accessed from either end of the dwelling. The upper level houses the two children’s bedrooms and a rooftop balcony with views over the park to the city. The thermally broken window system, passive solar design with eave overhangs, external sliding and fixed timber batten screens as well as a 4.95kW PV System results in a simple and manually adaptable dwelling. Considering its generous size it is able to respond to the changing external conditions operating efficiently and effectively to maintain comfort for its occupants. It is a house that will also adapt to the changing demographic of the family and sits comfortably within its environment.

Photography: Shani Hodson

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Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House
Kew East House

Professionals used in
Kew East House

About the
Professional

Jost Architects was established in 2008 in Melbourne by Patrick Jost. The main studio is located in St Kilda, Melbourne and a second studio is now located on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. 

We treat each project as unique, the site context, client requirements and specific design aesthetics results in distinct project styles. The practice produces strong contemporary designs that respond to brief, budget, and location, along with the setting in which it’s found.

The need to produce sustainable outcomes, irrespective of the scale of a project is a core value of Jost Architects. Starting with the adoption of the basic principles of thermal passive design, sustainable systems are integrated within the building fabric to become unnoticed aesthetically. This results in projects which are comfortable to live in, economical to operate and of a high-quality contemporary architecture.