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Architects: Foomann Architects
- Area: 280 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Willem-Dirk du Toit
Text description provided by the architects. Nestled within an established garden on the Mornington Peninsula, Flinders House works within the Modernist tradition using contemporary materials and execution. The original building was a Glenvill Home, built in the late 1980s, and was first renovated in 2002. The clients (one a retired architect) were eager to spend more time in their holiday home, with the capacity to host friends and family. As return clients, working again with builders Fido Project, the team embarked on the highly collaborative work of renovating Flinders House once more.
Resonating with the other post-war houses in the area, Foomann was inspired by local Modernist counterparts. The renovation aims for simplicity and refinement, with considered materials and exacting details. The ply-clad garage and the east portion of the house were lightly refurbished. With both the existing building and the new build receive the same black exterior grade plywood treatment as the garage. The consistency of this material unifies the different eras of the building, while the new pavilion-like family room has been realized with a Modernist silhouette. This new space comprises two bedrooms, plus kitchen and living areas. The pavilion was designed on a similar footprint to the demolished portion of the building, to maintain and harness the existing deck and mature garden.
Inside, Flinders House is light-filled and open, orderly, and peaceful. Timber beams run along the ceiling of the living area, continuing externally beneath the eaves. While the beams contribute to a Modernist vernacular, their material, and execution are contemporary. These structural glulam members feature rebates for concealed lighting and integrate openings for downpipes to drop through. The ceiling is completed with precise fit, and plywood cladding. Both blackened and clear finish ply details recur throughout the home speaking to a steady consistency and trust in a few, quality, material choices.
Full-height fixed glazing visually connects the pavilion to the landscape. It is from this vantage that occupants fully appreciate the garden; beautifully composed and patiently grown. The fastidious and demanding detail involved in the building, crafted with care by builders up to the task, provides depth to a home that initially presents as simple. The junctions were complex to achieve but help to create a home intended to feel relaxed, grounded, and at ease.
