Oak House

Oak House reworks a double-fronted, free-standing Victorian house in Melbourne into a light-filled family home. The owners wanted brightness and openness throughout, and the response was a two-storey contemporary addition set behind the original dwelling.

The site faces south, so a C-shaped plan was developed to draw in as much sun and natural light as possible. The ground floor wraps around a central courtyard that holds the outdoor living space, pool and spa. That courtyard, together with a generous hall and floating stair, also zones the house: a parents' zone to the front, family living to the rear, and a children's zone on the first floor. Light, airy materials reinforce the sense of space across every season.

Sustainability shaped the design as much as the plan. Passive techniques reduce the load on the building's mechanical systems. The central courtyard and a set of strategic skylights bring daylight into every living area, cutting reliance on artificial lighting. At the rear and over the courtyard, the first floor cantilevers past the ground floor to shade the western glazing, while services were grouped along a long eastern wing, with deep reveals and a steel window surround shading the west-facing upper windows. Solar power heats the pool, and solar panels on the first-floor roof help run the house. The level of sustainability achieved owed much to the clients' progressive, forward-thinking approach.

Completed in 2017 across two levels.

Architecture by Bryant Alsop (Sarah Bryant, Rob Randell). Photography by Jack Lovel.