Its art collector owners wanted a true gallery perspective and have been rewarded in dramatic style. A highly considered design and a free-flowing program of Viridian performance glass overcomes some truly mad-hatter eccentricities.   Large houses tend to be politically incorrect but every so often the large house, the mansion, restores belief that quality and quantity can co-exist under the one roof. Every building designer loves the idea of the grassy knoll. This project had no such luck.

Vibe Design Group faced the harsh reality of dealing with a latter day Gone With The Wind knock-off. Confronting, let alone digesting, such mistakes were daunting. Vibe decided to run with a more sustainable approach that retained just enough of the errant original.  “We returned to that era that paid such attention to exceptional detail. We established that reference right from the start that this should be an older building type that would balance the modern building we introduced. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process but we were very mindful that it could have quite easily been a disaster,” Michael O’Sullivan of the Vibe Design Group.

The abandoned residence presented 70 sq. of non-functional spaces that included indoor pool and spa. Lacking proportion and elegance, and without regard for energy efficiency.   “Glass is a big part of this building. Normally in a structure like this you wouldn’t see it as the key whereas here it is crucial. Typically the grand home is quite enclosed. This demonstrates some pretty exuberant glazing. We put a lot of effort into this to ensure we took advantage of the technology and materials.”  Loving the site but not the house, the new owners – a young family with a plan to build their dream home & both avid collectors of Aboriginal art – wanted an exhibition space and a house of classical scale and proportions. Improvisations included a vigorous and appropriate use of glass to amplify and modulate the opportunity.

“We wanted to help display the clients’ amazing art work and so the window treatment is much more gallery-like and emphatic. Materials play quite a big part in the way that the house feels so cohesive. Glass helps open up areas and make them more legible and that is evident throughout, especially in the gallery space.”

Michael O’Sullivan of the Vibe Design Group spoke with Vision editor Peter Hyatt about his firm’s work in re-building a derelict mansion into a modern day classic.

To download the full article and read the conversation click here. Photography Peter Hyatt & Jennifer Hyatt

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The project needed to express dignity and calm while promising a high-performance recital space. Chapel and sacristy, seating for 220, various tutorial rooms and support spaces all under one roof. The centre’s fully transparent entryway now allows visitors to observe internal activity, yet provides full acoustic separation from outside as well as the musical tuition rooms below.

“It took 18 months of refinement for an absolutely distilled, sharply focused result that needed to meet some pretty demanding design regulations. It is not only about structural honesty and integrity, but revealing of the openness and inclusiveness of school,” design director, Chris Hose, William Ross Architects.

Much of the project’s appeal according to Chris is a result of the simple palette of materials, careful handling and stripped back performance. The new vision which incorporates steel cladding and glass, combine to create a real modernity that fully connects with landscape and sky.

“We sought the clearest glass that would achieve code requirements. With such large window sections we knew structural systems were needed and so Viridian was our first port of call. We explored how we could break the glazing up in a vertical sense yet avoid the traditional grid. It also allowed us to install frameless, sash-less sliding double-hung units to open the space up for cross ventilation and air flow.”

Two cinematic spreads of glass are only part of the design legacy. Slot windows to the more demanding heat-loads north and west are partly concealed, yet effectively wash the walls. Downstairs is a more pragmatic use of glass where a combination of screening and vegetation allow ample light to fall.   Part of the acoustic integrity is achieved with the reception space discretely separated from the main volume by full-height glazing and frameless glass doors. The main east elevation features an offset structural glass façade that frames views and admits direct early morning light.

The chapel includes a series of sculptural glass windows by renowned glass artists, Janusz and Magdalena Kuzbicki. This was a critical part of the college’s brief with a separate selection process undertaken during design, followed by careful detailing and coordination between architecture and artwork.

In an age when starchitects find themselves brand building for commercial imperatives, Eltham CLC can afford to take a step back and take the longer-term view. Here the educational ‘brand’ defers to place and in the process achieves simplicity and serenity.

To download a PDF of this article as a case study click here. Photography Peter Hyatt & Jennifer Hyatt.

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