Quarry House in Melbourne by Finnis Architects

A modern bluestone clad family home on a corner site in Brighton, Australia. The Quarry house balances strong exterior form with seamlessly integrated interiors that promote shared spaces in the heart of the home and a connection with its context.

Architect: Finnis Architects
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Year: 2017
Project size: 869 m2
Photography: Tom Roe

From the architect: By utilizing a refined palette of bluestone, powder coated steel and timber clad soffits, exterior elevations that complimented the bluestones material properties were developed. Clad in a grid format, a focus on vertical and horizontal lines compliments the rectilinear form while concealing the exposed concrete sub structure. Being a natural and aged material immediately integrated the new build into its context, giving the feeling of a home that has been there for years and will be for many to come.

The large columns add to the solid nature of the home and balances with the high amount of glazing which aids in dissolving the barrier between interior and exterior, providing a transparent, soft touch. These columns also aid in providing an extremely free floor plan which suited the clients desire for an open plan living, dining and kitchen area.

The highly considered floor plan responds to the modern-day family, allowing for separate living zones and an open plan lifestyle. The ground floor consisting of communal spaces such as kitchen, living and dining are orientated towards the private open space directly responding to our client’s desire for seamlessly transitional experience between interior and exterior. This transitional experience is purposely framed by custom steel pivot doors that help by adding a sense of formal repetition that helps ground a highly contemporary interior.

The double height void over the dining area enables light to penetrate through the heart of the home. This void is also a central location for transition and connection to the first-floor bedrooms. With bluestone being a dominant material, it was crucial that the interior material and colour palette would soften and complement the exterior, with lighter timber finishes seen on the stair balustrade and ceiling battens.

The backyard is where this home truly established itself as a prime example of modern living. The home was to have neither a front or a backyard, rather a space that would transition from the entry and be able to flow and surround the living, kitchen and dining area on the ground floor. This also visually connected the four bedrooms on the first floor while incorporating bluestone into all the paving from the entry through to the backyard tied the different areas together.

The Quarry house is a home, that in its materiality will age gracefully and grow with the family. 

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