POP-UP House, Essendon Melbourne, Victoria Events Facility, Australian Architecture Development Images
POP-UP House in Essendon, Melbourne
16 Mar 2021
POP-UP House
Architects: FIGR Architecture Studio
Location: Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

POP-UP House attempts to counter the status quo of a new family home in a predominantly heritage setting. A common approach with new homes is to occupy most of the site whilst retaining a minimal front setback with a fortified sheer built form that shuts itself off from the public realm interface. Our approach was to create a home that challenges the aforementioned notion to discover opportunities in the often static, underutilised and forgotten. Focused on engaging with the urban realm, by inviting opportunities for interaction between inhabitants, passer-by?s, and neighbours to promote a sense of community engagement.
When presented from the street, the elevation is an extruded silhouette which is a sympathetic nod to the familiar roof forms of the surrounding vernacular. The upper volume of the building hovers above a landscaped mount that creates the beginning of a journey into the house. Flanked by existing neighbouring brick walls, that become internal edges which establish a dialogue between old and new.

The hovering belly of the house creates an undercroft that guides the guests into the house through lush, landscaped gardens creating a multi-faceted zone in the front yard that can adapt and evolve in program/use...