B.E. Architecture has completed a townhouse project in Melbourne. Through a unity of colour and form, Irving Street townhouses are conceived through a cohesive, similar vein approach, but each carved out of its own unique address. B.E. Architecture worked with developer Figurehead to explore alternatives to traditional development models that are combined through refinement and touch.

Set amongst similar scaled homes in Melbourne, the emphasis on longevity and timelessness is embodied in the quality of the construction and combined builder and development team. Developed by Figurehead and built by Flux Constructions, the result sees a quiet insertion to the street, conservatively responding to the surrounding context and imbedding the homes as part of the area’s long formed and historically rich narrative. Wrapped in chalk-toned brickwork, the homes are a softened addition, while adding a weightedness and anchoring them to their respective sites, as a symbol of their intended enduring nature.

The approach sees a contemporary crispness of form punctuated by considered geometries that create an interesting articulation of the facade through light interaction and the resulting shadows cast. The overall massing of the homes offers an undulation, where elevated and lowered elements avoid an imposing form on the site. The intent is for the homes to feel personalised and unique from the outset. Internally, a similar classically proportioned approach sees Travertine tile and timber flooring run throughout, with clean and uninterrupted vertical and horizonal lines defining the various volumes. 

The spatial arrangements differ between the three homes; however, the use of a shared warm, neutral and heightened palette connects each of them. The absence of ornament allows each owner to make their own mark on the property, and the insertion of their own furniture, artwork and objects collected further allows their own individual narratives to play out.The absence of ornament allows each owner to make their own mark on the property, and the insertion of their own furniture, artwork and objects collected further allows their own individual narratives to play out.