LLDS wraps its 'cuboid house' with robotically-generated skin of grey brick

the CUBOID house

australian studio LLDS completes a melbourne dwelling of grey brickwork, dubbed the ‘cuboid house.’ with its black and white interior, the project was designed with influence from the avant-garde work of russian artist kazimir malevich. designing the house, the team began with a solid mass which was carved and shaped to respond to the busy main road and the domestic nature of living towards the garden.

cuboid house perches on the slope of a leafy suburban neighbourhood elevated from a busy main road. designed for a close-knit family with young adults living at home, the project takes shape as two self-contained sleeping areas so the family can enjoy living together as well as apart. the layout sees a series of deep thresholds or anterooms, finished in black to demarcate the thresholds between private spaces.

images © ben hosking | @benhoskingphotographer

a digital arts and crafts approach

with the construction of its cuboid house, the architects at LLDS combine conventional building techniques with advanced robotic technology. these advanced methods were used for such details as specialty brickwork, brass chandeliers, and kitchen joinery. these components are robotically milled and carved in the architect’s fabrication workshop, which operates alongside the design studio. the project explores a digital arts and crafts approach to designing and constructing a dwelling that reflects contemporary domesticity.

solids and voids

the LLDS-designed cuboid house takes its organization from the classic logic of the nine-square grid. rather than using frame and infill, the team explores the internal organization through solid and void. cubes are pushed together and voids are carved using architectural elements of extruded archways and the profile of stair — the typical motif of domesticity.

like the artwork of malevich from which the design took inspiration, these elements are color-blocked in black and clad in brass against the white walls. the color black is used to mark all the private territory of the house — the bathrooms, utility and bedrooms. the kitchen and dining space, with its striking black and white color scheme, form the functional heart of the house, which leads to the rear patio.