Victoria
Equal parts landscape and house, The Boulevard is predominantly underground, overcoming the challenge of a steep topography by building into the hillside, concealing the structure as much as possible, and using the garden to extend the environment of the Yarra Flats into the site and mind. Entering the property via roof top parking, winding landscape stairs and stone water feature descend through foliage to the entry hall, offering a view out over the back garden.
This project embraces a small yet efficient floorplan, decreasing the building’s impact and cost. The relationship with the surrounding garden is crucial to the house’s spacious feel, embracing, enhancing, and extending the ecosystem of the surrounding environment.
Surrounding earth offers thermal stability to the building, adding an insulative effect and improving sustainability. Connection to landscape is accentuated by extensive use of operable glass offering views between spaces and across internal courtyards.
Starting this project we had a very clear view on how we wanted the house to respond to and interact with the environment.
We now have a beautiful home which connects us to the parkland that lays beyond. The children spill from the house into the yard seamlessly. They are immersed in nature from every room, providing a great calming effect. Come evening, the unique footprint allows us to close parts of the house down and operate in an environment that offers our family intimate immediate space, but also the broader sense of connection through glazing.
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
