Inspired by the essence of a residence that becomes much more lovely with age, Concrete House by FGR Architects is the result of a two material palette, concrete and glass selected for their qualities of beatification with time, sustainability, simplicity of create and integration into the building’s existing atmosphere.
Located in the resurgent suburb of Maribyrnong, close to inner Melbourne the home has a composed elegance that challenges a lot of conventions in Australian domestic architecture. The 3 storey dwelling embraces the opportunity of its internet site, turning itself ’upside down’ with the bedrooms and service spaces on the reduce floors rising to spacious and bright open living region below the retractable glass roof with panoramic views and a glass fronted rooftop pool.
Director of FGR Architects, Feras Raffoul explains his passion and respect for concrete as the excellent creating material for its numerous qualities of thermal, sustainability, aesthetic and ability to collect patina and therefore beautify with age. “The ability of this house to be constructed mostly from these two materials aids to create an everlasting structure and once the concrete walls and floor are up, the external and internal glass mounted, only the joinery remains to complete the building. The simplicity of this is exquisite.
“Concrete has often appealed to me as a worthwhile architectural tool for its numerous merits and inexhaustible and continual innovations in its applications. It has the capability to make a simple space, type or structure come to life, I think that to produce special spaces and volumes it is what you leave out rather than what you include,” Raffoul stated. “In Concrete Property movement of light is crucial in that it activates and warms the firmness of the concrete walls and makes it possible for for the architecture to come alive. We enjoy placing delicate and precise finishes to function along side the brutal concrete and find this has a yin and yang effect.”
Climbing previous the cool bedrooms positioned on the middle floor, the soaring glass staircase delivers residents to the panoramic views of the prime floor covered only by a glass roof assembled from a easy steel frame and cleverly considered for comfort with automated blinds responding to altering light circumstances. This open space of kitchen, dining and living contrasts in materiality and spatial dynamic as the concrete walls drop away and are replaced by glass and acrylic that also types one side of the lap pool presenting the physique of water as direct counterpoint and viewing point even though spectacular city skyline panorama is enjoyed from the adjoining terrace.
Raffoul has applied his understanding of industrial creating systems and building into the conception of this property and pushes the ability of the insulated concrete to offer a thermally constant space of excellent clarity. This dwelling demonstrates the effect that an architect’s sturdy affection for brutal supplies combined with precise and delicate details transformed into and sophisticated space through persistence and a labour of really like.