The ‘Middle Park Studio’ is one of the standout entries in the
Commercial category at this year’s ArchiTeam Awards.
Currently in its seventh year, the annual ArchiTeam Awards celebrate the
incredible work of emerging and small-to-medium sized architecture firms across
Victoria. This year’s entries showcase a mixture of commercial, residential,
unbuilt, community and sustainable projects.
Entered in the Commercial category, the ‘Middle Park Studio’ by Jean-Paul
Rollo Architects is an extension project designed to create a striking artist’s
studio space on top of a home’s existing garage on a narrow block.
Led by Director Jean-Paul Rollo, the Middle Park Studio design delivers
a unique external facade that gives the impression of two distinct
asymmetrically stacked boxes; internally, the functional design maximises
useable space.
Jean-Paul, who worked closely with the client, said one of the greatest
challenges for the design team was to provide enough internal space without
exceeding the block’s narrow boundaries and upsetting the neighbours in the heritage-sensitive
suburb. Maximising the use of every square centimetre of space, Jean-Paul was
able to provide more than enough storage and cleaning facilities without
sacrificing the artist’s need for a spacious and well-lit studio.
The external facade with the appearance of two asymmetrically stacked
white shipping containers, met the client’s brief for the studio to look like a
piece of urban art from the outside. Internally, the ‘boxes’ are completely
hollowed out into one studio space with the overhanging structural features
accommodating shelving, benches and windows.
To recreate the corrugated metal style of shipping containers, Jean-Paul
integrated the use of treated and moulded fibreglass to gently filter light.
The space limitation of the narrow block was overcome during the studio’s construction
by erecting and bolting together a steel structure on-site.
The ArchiTeam Awards will be judged by architects Dr Paul McGillick, Shelley
Penn and Prof Des Smith, with the winners to be announced on Thursday, November
13 and exhibited at No Vacancy Gallery from November 12-23. The Sustainability
award is proudly supported by bankmecu.
