South Yarra Apartments by AM Architecture
folding to form views and space
Melbourne Architects. South Yarra Apartments External Facade from the Street. Black batten fence marks the street boundary. Apartments set back from the street to allow for amenities and car parking. Apartments have a black brick base with grey-rendered first floor and black window frames.

South Yarra Apartments

South Yarra Apartments are two high amenity apartments on a small but uniquely positioned site.

The living areas are planned as north facing indoor/outdoor spaces. The apartments, positioned next to the leafy grounds of the South Yarra Library,  fill with dappled light that filters through the vibrant green of the library’s Golden Elms.

Melbourne Architects. North facing living/dining area looking out to leafy grounds of the library next door.

Leaves of Golden Elms

The form of the building folds upwards, creating carefully selected views, controlling privacy between apartments and responding to sunlight.

This upward fold allows the ceiling line in the ground floor apartment to become an open plane, maximising views out of the apartment.

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Residential Architects. External view to South Yarra Apartments. The form of the building folds upwards to control privacy between apartments and respond to sunlight. This gesture allows the ceiling the ground floor apartment to become an open plane, maximizing views out to the apartment.

“It’s a building that responds to the outdoors, and one of the most exciting places to sit is at the table on the first floor where you can enjoy a dual aspect. On one side you see the rooftops of small houses. On the other, you see the trees. It’s as if you’re sitting in a tree house.”

 

Andrew Mellios, Director, AM—Architecture.

Domain Magazine, The Age.

Residential Architects. View through the dining & living room of the First Floor. Vistas to the rooftops of small houses on one side and trees on the other side. Timber finishes. detailing and joinery connects the open spaces of living, kitchen and dining areas of First Floor.

The first-floor balcony juts out into the trees, folding upward for privacy and forming a covered entry point for the ground floor apartment.

View from first floor living room to the balcony and trees outside. Living room opens up to the balcony with large glazed sliding doors. The First-floor balcony juts out into the trees.
View to Ground Floor Study which is positioned at the front of the building. The front room has views in all direction, with carefully positioned screens to provide privacy to the street.

The front room allows views in all direction, with carefully positioned screens to provide privacy to the street.

Timber Built-in joinery and shelves at the study with timber grills above.

This building is conceived not so much as an object but a series of fluid internal and external spaces, with an open form folding to shape those spaces that allows a free flow of space within.

Melbourne Architects. View to ground floor living room and front room ahead. A timber sliding door allows front room to be separated from the living room. Natural timber finish of the joinery softens the robustness of concrete floor finish. A low marble top timber joinery forms a continuous shelf along the living room for display of owner's books and acts as a bench for the fireplace.