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57 Tivoli Road by B.E. Architecture
Australian studio B.E. Architecturehave completed a house in Melbourne clad in basalt slabs of varying size and thickness.
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The house, 57 Tivoli Road, is located on a sloping corner plot and has internal courtyards.
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A six metre-long window in the living room slides open over views of the city.
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The interior is primarily fitted out in wood, with a staircase twisting through the space and guest bedrooms clad floor to ceiling in timber.
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The following information is from the architects:
57 TIVOLI ROAD
The Tivoli Road house is a private residence, located on a rare inner-city corner site located within a streetscape of mixed housing stock.
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Its location allowed us to explore both built form and materials selection, and is designed to act as a bookend to the other houses in its block.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/03/dzn_57-Tivoli-Road-by-b.e.-Architecture-14.jpg)
The exposed corner site meant a protective building was required for both visual and acoustic privacy, and the design seeks to create an enclosed shelter for the occupants.
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To enhance the building’s reading as a single object, a single external material was chosen – bluestone.
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The bluestone was selected for its durability and ability to age kindly, while being sourced locally allowed the construction costs to be lowered.
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In order to create movement in the external faces, a paneling technique was developed using the diamond sawn bluestone in varying thickness and panel widths – the “chattered” effect the stone created meant we could push the limit of residential architecture to a more brutal, minimal built form.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/03/dzn_57-Tivoli-Road-by-b.e.-Architecture-17.jpg)
To soften the expansive use of bluestone, the clients’ love of timber was expressed within – where externally the bluestone dominates, so too does the timber internally.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/03/dzn_57-Tivoli-Road-by-b.e.-Architecture-20.jpg)
The building utilizes Spotted gum flooring throughout, with feature bunk rooms for occasional visitors clad floor to ceiling, and a cranked Blackwood stair in the two storey entrance space that serves as a modern reference to the traditional spiral staircase.
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Internal light courts were used to filter light throughout the site, enclosed external courtyards used to incorporate landscaping, both maintaining privacy and connection to the exterior conditions.
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A six metre sliding window was employed to convert the living area into a large entertaining terrace, borrowing views to the city in order to instill a spaciousness uncommon in small inner city sites.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/03/dzn_57-Tivoli-Road-by-b.e.-Architecture-1.jpg)
With all b.e. Architecture projects, the refined forms and considered material selection are achieved by resolving every corner, junction and detail with craft-like techniques, seen here particularly in the subtle external texture designed to develop a patina affording the building a timeless quality.
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