design et al are delighted to announce that C. Kairouz Architects have been shortlisted for Glasshouse Award in The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019.
Jenkins Street flawlessly mixes private and intimate spaces of the restored art deco front with open plan living of the new, modern-contemporary architecture. The main challenge set by the owner was to transform the dilapidated-yet characterful art deco house and create a modern family home with a ‘wow factor’, large enough to have three bedrooms and two living rooms with additional storage. Capturing light in a south-facing block in Melbourne also elicited its own challenges.
It was decided that the perfect vessel for the journey between the old and the new would be a glass walk bridge, creating an impactful transition between the spaces. Strategically built to capture as much sun as possible on the south-facing block and made solely of steel and glass, the walk bridge acts as the catalyst into the new part of the home. The end of the walk bridge is met with a large open entertainment area where form breaks down into a single open space. With an angled ceiling, the room is surrounded in windows that accentuate the height and allow the northern sun to penetrate. The feature concrete floor captures the eye with its industrial vibe and facilitates a passive heating and cooling system; it warms up under direct sunlight during the day, only to slowly emit the heat in the colder Melbourne evenings.
In one corner is a statement black kitchen, clad in metal-look cabinetry and topped with calacatta oro marble and bluestone benchtops. The oversize kitchen island features a cantilevered benchtop for additional width encouraging its practical use as a sit-down bar, buffet server or conversation space. The rear of the room is separated by a concrete block, topped with a bespoke television unit with full 360-degree rotation, meaning that the television becomes highly convenient and practical as it can be viewed from any area of the room. On the back of the unit is a mirror, further emphasising the juxtaposing theme of the house, capturing different reflections of the living space depending on its orientation, and the orientation of the viewer.
Jenkins Street is a juxtaposition in many ways. It flawlessly combines private and intimate spaces of the restored art deco front with open plan living of the new, modern-contemporary architecture. The dynamic of new and old, and diversity on a functional level as well as a visual level alludes to a home with a perceived split personality; made tranquil with the right balance of yin and yang.