Angelia Zhu

Trajectory Drive Residence

Far from the vibrant and affluent centre of Melbourne, Trajectory Residence occupies an interstitial zone where the city dissipates into its outer limits and the existing neighbourhood becomes shaped by
volume-built greenfield housing. Within this seemingly unremarkable environment, the new buildings begin to suggest that there is room for something more: even in a harshly standardised suburban
fabric, the possibility for architectural joy can challenge the mundaneness of the existing neighbourhood. The units range from studios to duplexes that follow a 3.8m x 12.6m structural grid as
they unfold in a hyper-normal manner, with witty gestures such as neon shovel-like awnings and post-beam structures that boldly characterise the facades. The southern elevations accommodate private bedrooms, emphasising a sense of rigidity through disciplined geometry, while the northern elevations open outward through polycarbonate sliding panels that extend interior living into the lightweight communal balcony. This contrast establishes a shifting boundary between defined and undefined conditions, where enclosure gives way to adaptable spatial use. Across the buildings, misalignments between window openings and corrugated steel joints produce moments of awkwardness that embrace the realities of contemporary construction -- this is echoed through the dramatically slanted awnings that hang from balcony parapets, the exposed rafters beneath tilted corrugated cladding boards that
exhibit structural depth, and the flexible service roofs that also permit momentary occupancy. By showcasing these uncompromising edges, Trajectory Residence informs the way that people experience the building, as it contributes to a language of authenticity which evolves partly out of a recognition that what architecture aspires to be and what it is made to be don’t always coincide. The result is an architecture that is slightly awkward, yet witty and honest in its own way.