Jackson Killick

An examination of the terrace typology as a sensible means of densifying middle-ring Melbourne that fills in the gap between the detached house and large-scale apartment buildings. The departure from the traditional terrace is evident in the barcode nature of the plan, which can be read at both the site and unit scale. Multiple layers of privacy are established through thresholds, while retaining elements of the front and back garden. The perimeter of each unit becomes ambiguous, allowing residents to temporarily occupy adjacent public spaces.

The unit plans follow a loosely Palladian scheme, with a central core supporting mirrored living areas that lead to dual entrance porticos. These reference the urban villa, but more contextually, the typical Australian verandah, which is climatically efficient and non-dogmatic in program. The elimination of the traditional front and back also contributes to a more fluid living arrangement, encouraging a seasonal occupation of each unit to enhance living comfort.

Polycarbonate-clad winter gardens are attached to the northern facades of each unit, appearing as later additions that conceal the utilitarian and highly glazed north wall. These have sufficient depth to allow for varied occupation and furnishing, which in turn becomes the building’s decoration behind the semi-transparent boundary. This contrasts with the solidity of the southern facade, constructed from concrete blocks to imply privacy behind rational geometry.

The site plan follows its own distinct logic outside of the established barcode. Hard surfaces are abstracted out of building footprints and linked through a series of semi-porous walkways to provide comfortable movement through the site. The independence of each planning process, when overlaid, produces unique spaces ambiguous in program. They offer an opportunity for residents to engage with the architecture in a more intentional way than is typically available in contemporary housing.