7
Frank Lloyd Wright made the
cantilevered house his own with
the Robie House roof (1910) and
Fallingwater (1937). Such projections
were the stuff of dreams and illusion,
floating, gravity-defying structure.
Mies van der Rohe’s radical glass, marble and steel
Barcelona Pavilion (1928) was another turning point that
turned modern architecture on its head.
Both of these achievements inform Melbourne architect
Daniel Xuereb’s monumental design amid Ivanhoe’s leafy
boulevards. And just like his lofty predecessors, Xuereb
works overtime to ensure the opportunity is grasped.
Sited on an elevated, sloping allotment, the design
retains much of the existing garden. From the street-front,
the house projects with a magisterial authority. Its
balconies and windows fully engage with a pair of
Pin Oak and Golden Elm trees. Glazing, ‘stretched’ across
the south-facing street-front elevation brings vista and
indirect light while maintaining a high level of privacy.
Moving through the house beyond the tight armature of
the grand winding staircase and lounge area, leads past a
series of windows as picture frames. Views are provided
east towards the pool and patio before arriving in the
kitchen and living areas.
To the rear, the house is much more Mies-like, with
specific and expansive use of Viridian double glazed
units linking to its pool/patio. The architect and builder
owners’ preference for open spaces is repeated with
cranked windows and feature ‘wall’ that adroitly avoids
the more conventional plan.
With the passage of time and technology, such houses
are high quality builds in every sense with understated,
high-performance materials.
PROJECT
Ivanhoe Residence, Melbourne
ARCHITECTS
DX Architects (Daniel Xuereb)
PRINCIPAL GLAZING
Viridian double glazed units using Grey glass
Viridian SuperClear™
TEXT, IMAGES & FILM
Peter & Jenny Hyatt