Windows and doors from Architectural Window Systems are a major design feature in a stunning light-filled home in Hawthorn designed by Mat Elkan of Simatrik Design, and aptly named the Courtyard House.

A home that perfectly blends period architecture with contemporary form and function, the Courtyard House has been designed to give the owners a sense of absolute and seamless connection to the great outdoors.

Designed and built over a period of four years, the Courtyard House features as its centrepiece, a beautifully landscaped central courtyard, with the kitchen, dining area and informal lounge area overlooking this beautiful garden space. With an aim to bring the garden inside, Mat and his clients agreed on the use of massive panes of glass that maximise the views and create a seamless transition from inside to out.

Enlisting the assistance of local fabricators, Creative Windows at a very early stage of the project, Mat sought to establish exactly how big the windows could be while retaining functionality and durability.

Mat recalled that the glass measured about 2 metres wide by 3.3 metres high, running up past the 3-metre ceiling. Each glass panel also weighed a massive 250kg each.

As for the AWS commercial window systems, Mat really likes them and considers them “quite well-refined and really suitable for use in a domestic application”.

AWS systems used in the Courtyard House project included Series 52 Commercial Door (Double Side Beaded) and Series 424 CentreGLAZE.

Watch the Designer Notes video of the Courtyard House.