Austin Maynard Architects were engaged by the owners of a bungalow located in Alphington, a quiet suburb of Melbourne, for a renovation and extension project. Despite its close proximity to the Melbourne CBD, Alphington lies in an unassuming part of the world with mostly small weatherboard or brick houses.

Given the setting, the architects decided to avoid any ostentatious or imposing additions, and instead, gave the project a modernist twist with a village of mini-towers placed along the southern end of the property and away from the existing house.

The children’s bedrooms, living spaces, and a bathroom remain in the original house, while the ‘village’ now houses a studio, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dining room. By locating the new additions along the boundary, the architects have created a large central courtyard area that maximises sunshine and enhances the communal feel of the dwelling.

Referencing nearby chimney stacks, the towers are covered with shingles and Lysaght LONGLINE 305 cladding made from COLORBOND steel in the colour Surfmist.

Featuring slender, high ribs and broad, flat pans, the LONGLINE 305 cladding steel was a perfect fit for these striking structures. Its smooth, machine-made lines contrast effectively with the less uniform, hand-installed shingles, while the Surfmist colour of COLORBOND steel, which is reminiscent of pure white sand or the sails of a yacht, brightens the entire residence.

According to the architects, Tower House is the result of endless conversations with a trusting, enthusiastic, patient and encouraging client.

“The words the owners used were carefully considered: Nurturing, stimulating, gallery, museum, inspiring, delightful, both social and private, introverted and extroverted, legacy, responsibility, character, engaging, discourse and community. In their home they wanted the story to be about more than them. They wanted it to be about us. All of us,” Austin Maynard Architects explained.

Tower House has earned plenty of praise and won Austin Maynard Architects several awards.

These include the Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award at the National Architecture Awards 2015; The John and Phyllis Murphy Award at the Victorian Architecture Awards 2015; House Alteration & Addition at the HOUSES Awards 2015; and a High Commendation -- World House of the Year, World Architecture Festival 2015.

The studio was also named winner of both the ZENITH Category Award and the Overall Major Award in the Lysaght Inspirations Design Competition, the program that celebrates outstanding Australian architectural work incorporating Lysaght steel building products.

Commenting on the victory, Blake Tasker, Lysaght product & brand manager said Tower House epitomises the best of contemporary Australian design.

“Lysaght is delighted to be able to highlight this architectural achievement and to encourage work of this quality. We congratulate Austin Maynard Architects and look forward to seeing more of their projects featuring Lysaght product,” he said.

Architecture & Design Team

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