克尔公寓丨澳大利亚墨尔本丨SSdH

Architects:SSdH

Area:100m²

Year:2022

Photographs:Pier Carthew

Builder:Bluline Projects

Interiors:SSdH

Category:Apartments,Adaptive Reuse

Project Team:Todd de Hoog, Jean-Marie Spencer, Harrison Smart

Traditional Custodians Of The Land On Which The Project Is Built:Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung

City:Melbourne

Country:Australia

Text description provided by the architects. When the Fitzroy landmark, The MacRobertson's Chocolate Factory (built ~1900's), was converted between 1998 and 2003, it became an early and local example of the industrial apartment building typology. Rather than delivering a series of homogenous, standardised units, the redevelopment divided the amalgamation of warehouse spaces into a series of apartment 'shells' surrounding a voluminous central atrium. The 'shells' were sold to owners with the most minimal amenities, no more than a connection point for plumbing, fire services, and power, with the understanding that occupants would be responsible for their own internal fit-out.

The result was a huge array of variation, experimentation, and architectural design, specifically tailored for the original purchasers. A search through back-dated real-estate listings results in a trove of era-specific design responding to, or turning away from, the raw conditions provided at handover.

Kerr, by SSdH, occupies a split-level, mezzanine-style apartment in the semi-below-ground level of the development. The apartment has a single, east-facing, street-level window, which, along with the positioning of two existing monolithic industrial-sized concrete columns, provided the starting point for planning the new compact three-bed, two-bathroom home.

The intent of the design process was humble. Partly due to the reality of a tight budget, but also to avoid obscuring the unique existing conditions we were fortunate to be working within. Three newly added elements (portal, block, and stair) sit as defined objects within the space and in visual contrast to the context, so the original factory and its subsequent division can be understood and its character preserved. Each element has been designed to emanate a curated atmosphere, where light (or lack thereof), materiality, and spatial devices interact. Creating atmospheric spaces that are understood deeply through tangible engagement is a pursuit within our studio.

The 'portal' acts as the entry into the apartment. The splayed surface culminates in a second living area at the base of the window and stairs and carries independently controlled apertures, allowing light and access to each of the bedrooms. These openings, detailed with mirrored internal faces, allow for both borrowed views across the living area and an internal reflection of natural light. In addition, layered polycarbonate and timber batten screen doors offer a diffuse glow and allow the bedrooms to remain connected to the home, even when closed. The immersive material is used across the walls, floors, and ceiling, creating a charged experience between the entry and stair void. The end of the portal is clearly defined by contrast, from internal dark timber to 'external' bright stone and stair; here, not only does a shift in light occur, but a marked transition between spaces with a different atmosphere and feeling.

The 'stair' was located against the window. Open where possible, great care was taken to utilise the stairway as a light well. A simple steel mesh balustrade, drawing from the surrounding industrial heritage, maximises structure through limited material coverage. The same mesh was used to provide a platform that takes advantage of the light and provides the family with a location for elevated, indoor gardening. The stone pavers below play further with the notion of an 'outdoor space' within an otherwise enclosed apartment. The feeling of being outside is further exaggerated through contrast with the adjacent internal timber portal, the transition allowing a feeling of stepping into or out of. The 'block' contains a hard-working and generous kitchen, as well as holding the main bedroom and ensuite, separating these from a flexible, open plan living and dining space that looks over the stairs and street.

The singularity of material and considered detailing was important to each of these elements. Joins were minimised, door handles integrated, junctions hidden, and fixtures carefully selected to create as seamless a surface as possible. This is in part to avoid the clutter that can so easily make an already small space feel smaller, but also allows a focus on the grain, texture, and tone of the materials being added, creating a sense of atmosphere.

By contrast, the materials found within the lower-level bedrooms, where the floor, walls, and ceiling are painted white, allow the corners of the small spaces to disappear in a fog, edgeless, providing a sense of added space within the tight footprint. There is a feeling of weightlessness when experienced against the timber portal. Similarly, the bathroom floor and walls are tiled with a rich blue pool tile, adding a sense of generosity through the reflection of light in a small internal room.

The spaces left over by the insertion of these elements are treated evenly. Old wall/ceiling linings, trims, materials, and details are stripped away to expose the raw shell, the newly exposed structural framing, nails and all, left as is. An application of white highlighted and unified everything 'old', sitting in stark contrast to the 'new' elements within. Where the previous fit-out had concealed, the new design works hard to preserve and expose, something not easily achieved with ever more cautious fire regulation. This not only provided a greater sense of volume but brought a level of texture, history, and grain so difficult to achieve in a new construction.

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