Kavellaris Urban Design (KUD) is a multi-award-winning design firm based in Melbourne, who can never be accused of taking themselves too seriously. Their Perforated House, in inner-city Brunswick, is an example of this attitude (or lack thereof).
Sold for $730k in September 2009 (listing here), the house is situated in a heritage-listed area with many restrictions dictating the facade of the home. The result of these restrictions is often the building of dumb, cheap imitations of the Victorian terrace house, simply because they fit in with the ‘character’ of the area and are therefore easier to slip through council. In Perforated House, KUD refused to compromise, responding by creating a postmodern take on the terrace house. The design is very clever, with the dynamic facade and smart north-south ventilation creating a flexible and eco-friendly footprint. Check out this YouTube video of how the house opens and closes, or if you prefer this 3D model. Cool!
KUD acknowledges that the house creates debate, and discussions on websites such as Contemporist seem to agree, with descriptions varying from “architecture as practical joke” and “like a printed boob apron” to “a statement more than a home”. KUD features a few more comments on their site:
“That hideous screen” neighbour across the road
“I love it!” couple walking past
“That’s better than some of the responses I have had” KUD
“Who cares?” couple walking past.
As one Contemporist commentator puts it, “this is one boob apron I’d be happy to live in”.
