Situated within 100 metres of the water’s edge, on the fringe of a heritage precinct, “Harold” is a spectacular residence in Middle Park, Victoria that has been given new life by a skyward extension and reconfiguration by local architecture firm Coy Yiontis and built by CBD Contracting Group.
The revised building form maximises the elevation on the small site, achieving views to both the city and the bay, while offering privacy and flexibility for the grown-up family that lives here. Its dark exterior raises its status within the streetscape, presenting a dynamic facade composed of anodised aluminium panels, selected for their resistance to corrosion in a coastal setting, and integrated operable screens.
“The challenge from our client was to expand and reconfigure the available space and if possible, push to a third floor to capture views of the city skyline and the sea,” explains George Yiontis, Director at Coy Yiontis Architect.
The architects needed a way to screen the extensive northern glazing of the third-floor bedroom, yet preserve the panoramic city views. The design solution involved utilising perforated cladding panels that could screen the bedroom from direct sunlight yet could also be completely folded away to increase visibility to the outside. As a leader in custom shading solutions, Shade Factor proved to be the right partner for the job.
“Having worked with Shade Factor on a previous custom project, we called upon their technical expertise during the design development process to come up with an operable screen concept,” noted Yiontis. “Exploring a number of configurations, both functional and aesthetic, manual and motorised, we finally, in close collaboration with the builder and structural engineers on site, alighted upon the motorised bi-fold system that was eventually installed.”
The proposed solution was a custom operable hinged façade with perforated aluminium sheets fixed to the bi-fold screen framing. Shade Factor, who work closely with Advanced Design Innovation (ADI), supplied and installed the custom frames and controls. The lower edge of the bi-fold screens slope so each panel is a unique size and shape.
The operable screen gives the homeowners flexibility, providing access to stunning outside views when the panels are open and privacy when the panels are closed. The custom asymmetric bi-fold screen was designed to ensure the panel cladding was consistent with the building cladding, delivering an identical visual appearance for both the fixed cladding elements and the operable bi-fold.
Shade Factor is the exclusive distributor of ADI’s motorised bi-fold screens. For more information, visit the Shade Factor website here.
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