A house that lets the light in
Unfolding House
Overview
Unfolding House builds upon Sibling Architecture’s preoccupation with the motif of the grid, an infinitely expanding framework for the visible and invisible structures that one can inhabit. This element is applied to the architectural element of the window in the alteration of a modern townhouse facade in Melbourne. Here, the grid becomes a three-dimensional infrastructure fulfilling a range of functions: pivoting screens create shading and privacy, a large rotating vertical panel flips out to become a table, and horizontal planes throughout the frame become platforms for external planting.
The intervention to the front elevation of the townhouse activates the front yard, connecting its inhabitants with the adjacent public street. The perforated steel panels set within the utilitarian frame reflect the industrial palette of the streetscape; the painted magenta panels match the tones of an adjacent Japanese maple tree. Through the potential of the expanding grid-like device, this project offers an exploration of what a window can become.
Through the potential of the expanding grid-like device, this project offers an exploration of what a window can become.
The grid becomes a three-dimensional infrastructure fulfilling a range of functions: pivoting screens create shading and privacy, a large rotating vertical panel flips out to become a table, and horizontal planes throughout the frame become platforms for external planting.
Through the potential of the expanding grid-like device, this project offers an exploration of what a window can become.
The grid becomes a three-dimensional infrastructure fulfilling a range of functions: pivoting screens create shading and privacy, a large rotating vertical panel flips out to become a table, and horizontal planes throughout the frame become platforms for external planting.
