Project: Bardolph Gardens
Architects: Breathe Architecture
Location: Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia
Year 2019
Photography: Tom Ross
Description by Breathe Architecture: Occupying an under-utilised open space at the rear of two existing Californian bungalows, Bardolph Gardens consists of two single storey dwellings that provide environmentally sustainable, affordable, and well designed rental housing in Glen Iris.
Celebrating the prominence of brick materiality in the surrounding context, the recycled brick facade of Bardolph Gardens adds value to the streetscape with a simple, contemporary aesthetic. The form and pitch of the roof planes takes cues from its neighbouring houses, homogenising the proposed forms with the neighbourhood character.
Dwellings are entered through either a private courtyard or landscaped garden. Interiors are generous, light filled, warm and spacious with each room having an outlook to greenery. A considered roof pitch and external steel awnings work to maximise solar gain in winter whilst providing volume and an abundance of light to the living areas through north facing glazing. The pared back, humble and robust material palette serves a purpose to ensure longevity of the dwellings. Embedded throughout, a series of hit-and-miss brick screens create smaller courtyards, drawing in air and dappled light to adjacent bedrooms and bathrooms.
Bardolph Gardens is designed with a priority towards sustainability with each dwelling achieving a minimum of 8 stars. Carefully designed to maximise thermal performance, dwellings operate entirely from a zero fossil fuel services system, including a solar PV array and heat pump system that supplies hot water.
