South Yarra House
South Yarra House is an addition and alteration project that breathes new life into an existing 1938 clinker brick home.
It is located on a beautifully landscaped stepped walkway that leads down to the Yarra River; a walkway lined with stone walls, established trees, and the auburn tones of terracotta and heritage brickwork.
The site can only be entered on foot, it is heavily sloped and tree-lined and feels like a deep landscaped enclave in the heart of South Yarra. It is this unique sense of place in which South Yarra House is merged.
The conceptual heart of South Yarra House is in the relationship of two new architectural elements that intimately connect the building to its place.
The first, a copper-clad pitched roof structure at the first floor makes connection to the South Yarra heritage context and encloses the main bedroom suite high in the treetops.
The second, a three-dimensional green frame, extends from the ground up to supplement the beautiful landscape of the public walkway and form an integral part of the new architecture.
In between these two elements sit the new living areas, along with a courtyard and terraces and spectacular views of the landscape and neighbouring rooftops.
Copper patina on install 
Copper patina after six months 
Copper patina after one year 
Copper patina after seven years 
Copper patina after 15 years 
Copper patina after 25-30 years - custom joinery colour 
A connection to history and landscape and considered detailing and flow between the elements are the continuum of this home. It is the sympathetic design of a house in nature and heritage that gives South Yarra House its special quality.
A planted screen provides privacy for the living spaces, veiling the western sun and lifting the landscape into the interior to embrace the public areas.
A light-filled space separates new from old with a bridge at the first-floor level that traverses the void and leads to the main bedroom.
A light filled space separates new from old, with a bridge at first floor level traversing the void to the master bedroom.
“The architects have drawn on a quiet design approach that subtly commands the experience of the home’s landscape and picturesque built context.”
Houses Magazine, December 2019.
“The project aims to create a place that is both wonderful to inhabit, and one that resonates with its unique context.”
Andrew Mellios, Director, AM—Architecture.
