White Delight
By Poly Studio
This project, in the Melbourne inner-city suburb of Prahran, consists of a new verandah inserted at the back of a single storey Victorian weatherboard house. It is a delightful space in which to read, to contemplate, to doze, to enjoy an evening drink, and to entertain. It is a contemporary insertion designed as an extension, rather than a disjunction, with the heritage qualities of the house. In multiple ways it operates to mediate and temper its surroundings: it forms the spatial interface between the house, the garden and the existing carport structure; a privacy screen from neighbouring properties; and, also an environmental interstice between inside and outside. With its strong language of linear screening, the verandah is designed to filter out the strong summer sun without making the interior of the house dark, especially in winter. The translucent fibreglass roofing provides diffuse daylight, but is further filtered by the layer of horizontal boards that line the underside of the roof. By the operation of a series of bi-folding screen panels across the front face of the verandah, it can either be fully opened or closed off from the garden and assists to control morning sun.
year: 2016
builder: Markus Builders
photos: David Patston
Professionals used in
White Delight
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Poly Studio
About the
Professional
Poly Studio is passionate about designing contemporary and sustainable buildings that utilise clever design to provide the most amenity from the least resources. Led by Daniel Wolkenberg, the studio has considerable experience working on a broad range of projects large and small, including residential, multi-residential and mixed-use typologies.
We believe that the best design solutions emerge from an intensive and open process of collaboration with our clients. Our approach embraces the emergence of unique and responsive solutions from the design process itself in a positive feedback loop that exceeds what may have been imagined at the outset.
Our design approach seeks to embed each building into its specific time and place, responding with sensitivity to the unique constraints and opportunities of each site. We view sustainability as both a necessary ethical imperative but also integral to the challenge of making each building ‘fit for purpose’, both now and into the future. We look for the synergies within the overlay of budget, sustainability and performance to achieve the best performance for the least cost.
Poly Studio is registered with the Architects Registration Board of Victoria. We are members of the Australian Institute of Architects, Architeam and the Australian Passive House Association.
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