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Designed by Michael Bellemo & Cat Macleod, this studio home for architects investigates a recurrent topic in modern architectural theory and practice: low-cost production that does not skimp on comfort or creative verve. Called “Polygreen” by its designers, the building is located in an industrial suburb of Melbourne in Victoria State, Australia. Set in a tightly ordered urban grid occupied by brick warehouses and depots, the new structure stands demurely amidst its neighbours thanks to an apparently minimalist approach of its architects. With this house, Bellemo & Cat have put into practice structural, kinetic research straddling art and architecture, and have gone beyond their previous light, almost flexible, structural urban interventions half way between sculpture and architecture. A simple, elongated box, the house comprises two identical storeys. Three elevations have a translucent outer cladding; their swirling patterns in various shades of green add a note of colour to the severe urban landscape, and transform a nondescript container into an innovative living unit. The façade giving on to the street - one of the shorter sides - is opaque, broken only by a narrow strip window. The studio door forms a continuum with the wall. In contrast, the middle section of the south-facing façade giving on to a service road has large apertures. Similarly, the north wall has long windows at both levels, which on the first floor give access to a balcony and on the ground floor to a protected children’s play area. On all sides the translucent envelope filters light to the interior. Inside, fixtures and fittings contrast with the extreme simplicity of the exterior. The interior is divided into several environments on different levels. Continuous wooden flooring turns seamlessly into broad steps leading up to the next level. A series of metal wires stretching from floor to ceiling forms transparent protective “banisters”. The ground floor is occupied by the studio...
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