Urban Green - Slate House by Melbourne Design Studios

The success of Slate House is a result of unpacking theories of sustainability and approaching it through different lenses to produce a bespoke and innovative design. Amongst the larger environmentally-friendly gestures are solar panels, combined with a highly efficient building shell and the precise coordination of every room except one to have northern facing access that passively assists comfortable temperature and lighting. There are also some subtler measures in place that simply bring a smile as they evoke joy to the family, such as, the hidey door between robes to connect the kid’s rooms and the backyard that opens onto the adjacent park. All are methods of sustainability in their own valuable way.

Biophilia, is defined plainly as a love for living things, and is the theory that humans hold an innate urge to seek connection with nature because of an ingrained attraction to all things living and vital.

“While crucially important, I believe sustainability refers to more just than passive solar design and water tanks. The approach to sustainability we take in our office has to include aspects of liveability, durability, materiality and engagement with nature – for me, it is really about the well-being of the person as much as the well-being of our planet.” Marc Bernstein-Hussmann, Director, Melbourne Design Studios

The upper story of Slate House stands monumentally amongst its scape by translating the forms from the neighbouring structures into an easily recognisable silhouette resulting in a familiarity that relates to the local vernacular. Below the slate extrusion is an interwoven floorplan that engages closely with the bordering gardens, blurring the distinctions between outside and in. Courtyards are formed by the organic footprint of interior spaces with ceiling-height sliding glass doors that can peel back and diminish the separation even further.

The floorplan takes cues from nature’s intricate methodology with tessellated spaces that offer adaptability. An important consideration to the sustainability of a family home is the ability for it to be a space that can continue to grow along with the family. Slate House provides areas of socializing and privacy throughout the design to ensure each person can utilize it in the way that they need and for years to come.

Materials are selected with an intention of showcasing the flowing natural textures of the timber or stone, alongside more playful design decisions that create strong impact zones of aesthetic excitement. There is a linear approach to the interior that draws the sightline outward through one of the many placed windows.