Australian architecture practice Breathe Architecture has wrapped a pair of two single-story dwellings with a recycled brick facade that can help thermal comfort and create a modern aesthetic to within the existing houses in Glen Iris, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The two dwellings, called Bardolph Gardens House, take cues from its surrounding architectural context. Bardolph Gardens consists of two single-story dwellings that provide environmentally sustainable, affordable, and well designed rental housing in Glen Iris. 

The site is located in an under-utilised area at the rear of two existing Californian bungalows, the dwellings are architecturally and formally respectful to the immediate residential context.

The houses celebrate the prominence of brick materiality in the surrounding context, the recycled brick facade of Bardolph Gardens adds value to the streetscape with a simple, contemporary aesthetic. The form and pitch of the roof planes takes cues from its neighbouring houses, homogenising the proposed forms with the neighbourhood character.

Visitors enter the dwellings through either a private courtyard or landscaped garden. Interiors are designed as generous as possible, with light-filled, warm and spacious with each room having an outlook to greenery. 

A considered roof pitch and external steel awnings work to maximise solar gain in winter whilst providing volume and an abundance of light to the living areas through north facing glazing. 

"The pared back, humble and robust material palette serves a purpose to ensure longevity of the dwellings. Embedded throughout, a series of hit-and-miss brick screens create smaller courtyards, drawing in air and dappled light to adjacent bedrooms and bathrooms," said Breathe Architecture.

"In the kitchen and living areas, large north facing glazing opens up to a generous outdoor deck, providing connection to the outdoors."

"Bardolph Gardens is designed with a priority towards sustainability with each dwelling achieving a minimum of 8 stars. The houses were carefully designed to maximise thermal performance and the dwellings operate entirely from a zero fossil fuel services system, including a solar PV array and heat pump system that supplies hot water."

Ground floor plan

All images © Tom Ross

> via Breathe Architecture