SCREEN HOUSE

Location: East Kew, Melbourne

Date of Completion: 2015

There are only a handful of sites that benefit from being on the edge of a golf course. This one, located in East Kew, literally shares two boundaries with the golf course, making the backyard appear to extend for ever. For the owners, a couple with children, wanting to extend their two-storey 1940s house, the direction was certainly outwards and making the most of this idyllic setting. While Larsen made a number of changes to the original house, including upgrading bathrooms and altering some of the bedrooms, it’s the new outdoor structure that has completely transformed this home.

Instead of a traditional-style extension that would embody enclosed rooms, here the solution was to create a double height outdoor deck. This has been ‘clipped’ onto the side of the house, allowing the outdoors to be fully integrated to the interior spaces. Rather than impermeable walls, there are spotted gum battened screen-like walls. Timber battens also appear on the ceiling, with the roof made of translucent polycarbonate that allows for filtered, rather than direct light. And to deal with the harsh afternoon western light but still maintain the views over the golf course, there’s an automated blind on the edge of the outdoor deck. This transparency was also considered for the first-floor deck that leads to the main bedroom and a study, with glass balustrades allowing for unimpeded views. Having this new deck not only blurs the division between inside and out, but ensures the new swimming pool feels integral to the house, rather than an afterthought.

Visitors coming to the East Kew house can walk through the place. However, the way the extension has been conceived, the pattern is now to walk past the front portal, along the side driveway and past the kitchen to this new wing. The outdoor barbeque now takes on a different meaning, with the outdoor lounge and pool forming part of this entertaining experience. And rather than feeling suburban, the native landscape that frames the manicured turf literally provides a leafy frame for the family and visitors alike.

Text by Stephen Crafti