Hidden Houses in Melbourne

Some of you may have seen pictures (on Desire to Inspire or elsewhere) of this Melbourne house by Kavellaris Urban Design. It has a perforated metal facade (to comply with local planning regulations about retaining the local character of an innner urban suburb) with walls which open out to let in the rain and dry hot heat.

A few people have criticised this house (you can see this debate here) but to me it is a very Melbourne structure, and is not a 'one off'. It blends in, and hides its beauty within.

Melbourne is not a thrusting look at me city. Unlike Some Other cities to the North

Her best features are sometimes hidden behind high ficus covered walls. (And I don't care what anyone says - I love ficus. I love its thick greeny leaves which hide all manner of ills and ugliness.)

or knobbled red brick warehouse facades

or hidden behind a mirror facade, which cheekily reflects the 'heritage' all around it:

House in Tyson Street, Richmond, by Jackson Clements Burrows

complete with hidden roof top deck:

or turned into a commentary on our celebrity culture:

(Pamela Anderson house, in Albert Park, by Cassandra Fahey)

or maybe just a metal facade or wooden slats will do the necessary job of hiding:

Toorak house by SAAJ Design

(Not sure, have lost source for this)

and for the ultimate hidey hole, why not half bury the house underground:

(Narveno house, Hawthorn, McBride Charles Ryan)

Is there anything better than house as fortress and protection from the outside world?

(Images (1)-(3) KUD (5) Glimpse of Style (6) JCBA (7) Flickr (8) SAAJ (10) McBride Charles Ryan)

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Not another boring home entrance

McBride Charles Ryan are an architectural firm based in Melbourne practising primarily in residential projects.

They have won a number of awards for their shapely and angular, courageous designs, often located in leafy suburbs where the residents are often not that thrilled about looming modern shapes next door.

In Camberwell, a suburb or two to the east of my house, is the amazing Petrucelli House dating from 2008, which was designed for two photographers who said they wanted the sort of clean lines and precision they derive from their photographic studio.

Rob McBride says the design process began in 1996. Assuming this is not a typo that is one lengthy design process. But one person's picky client is another person's dream client, who lets the architect grow and develop his or her ideas, and create something truly fantastical.

The whole house is stunning but this in particular I love - a 20 metre swimming pool greets you as you enter the inside foyer of the house:

Yes this is a real swimming pool real people can swim in, although probably skinny dipping is not an option.

Thanks to the lovely RAIA for these images. Copyright in the design to McBride Charles Ryan of course. And the photos were taken by the owner, Louis Petruccelli.

I love it. But then this type of clean white architecture is my style. It gives a kind of cinematic quality to the act of swimming. What a pity people (even Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe) always look a bit flubbery underwater.

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