Pi-Pad banner
Project by
Location
St Kilda West, Victoria
Year of completion
2022
Project cost
$0.5m - $1m

Pi_Pad is a townhouse next to Albert Park reserve along the lightrail, with sweeping views from the new top level across Albert Park Reserve to the east and across left St Kilda West towards the bay in the west . Innovative but simple, – it goes ‘up’ rather than ‘out’ to create the much-needed flexibility that this house needs, creating a stand-alone bedroom retreat for the main couple but also a multi-generational and multi-modal dwelling immersed in landscape and place despite it’s inner-city context. 

The focus of the design is a striking metal-clad top level, with soaring eaves and dual-balconies to anchor interior and exterior spaces into the St Kilda West landscape.

Designed for a farming family hailing from The Mallee, the home is used as their inner city crash pad, but will become their future retirement home. With work and family bringing the clients often to Melbourne in the meantime, the house becomes a hub for their network of family and friends.

A key intention of the design was to explore the rural shed typology, including raking roof and soaring eaves, active and passive solar design, capturing rainwater, utilising low embodied energy or longevity of materials, and clever skylights to provide transformative spatial and design quality. Other details that elevate the external form include bespoke corner junctions to the metal cladding that dissolves the form. A triangulation to the cladding in the boundary walls of the raking roof that lightens form and provides a generous urban response to the street.

Awards and
recognition

2023
Trends Ideas TIDA Awards Australia
Architect Main Bedroom Suite Award Runner-Up
2022
Ttrends Ideas TIDA Australia
Architect Kitchen - Runner Up
2022
Trends Ideas TIDA Awards Australia
Architct Home of the Year - Highly Commended
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About the
Professional

A design-led architecture, interiors and urbanism studio in South Melbourne

McMahon and Nerlich established in 2013 with a focus on finely crafted residential and commercial projects. Directors Rob Nerlich and Kate McMahon weave together influences from the built environment, architectural urbanism and design theory to create beautiful buildings and spaces

McMahon and Nerlich is an experienced design studio based in South Melbourne, founded in 2013 by directors Rob Nerlich and Kate McMahon. Our multi-disciplinary studio brings a unique vision and dedication to each project. We work across all scales with expertise in residential, education, commercial and urban design across metropolitan and regional areas. We remain passionate about designing houses for people. Each project we undertake contributes to our practice research and our focus on design-led architecture that is sustainable and a portrait of our clients. We hold studio leader positions at the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne. We have a growing published and award-winning portfolio of built work across the residential and commercial sectors and we have a strong and clear practice/process philosophy and social sustainability ethic. We welcome you to contact us and become part of our practice journey.