breathe architecture wraps 'bardolph gardens' houses in recycled brick façade in australia

melbourne-based studio breathe architecture has recently completed bardolph gardens, a pair of single-story houses occupying an under-utilized open space at the rear of two californian bungalows in glen iris, australia. drawing from the materiality of the surrounding context, the two structures are wrapped in a recycled brick façade, while the form and pitch of their roof planes takes cues from neighboring houses, allowing them to homogenize with and add value to the existing streetscape with a simple, contemporary aesthetic.

all images by tom ross

breathe architecture has built bardolph gardens as a way to provide environmentally sustainable, affordable, and well designed rental housing in glen iris, a suburb of melbourne, australia. a pared back, humble and robust material palette characterized by the recycled brick façade on the exterior, and concrete floors, white plasterboard walls, recycled timber bench tops and terrazzo tiles on the interior ensures longevity of the dwellings. in continuation of the façade, a series of perforated brick screens create smaller courtyards, drawing in fresh air and natural light to adjacent bedrooms and bathrooms.

the generous, light-filled, warm interiors can be entered through either a private courtyard or the landscaped garden, while each room has a view towards greenery. the roof pitch and external steel awnings work to maximize solar gain in winter whilst providing volume and an abundance of light to the living areas through north facing glazing. the project is designed with a priority towards sustainability with each dwelling achieving a minimum of 8 stars. carefully designed to maximize thermal performance, dwellings operate entirely from a zero fossil fuel services system, including a solar PV array and heat pump system that supplies hot water.

project info:

name: bardolph gardens

architect: breathe architecture

location: glen iris, australia