Studio P&S

This photographic studio and residence is located in a busy street in Prahran. The site was previously occupied by a small workshop and sits between a new group of residential buildings and the last remaining warehouses in the area

The characteristics of the surrounding buildings - in particular their different relationships to the street - determined the simple form of the new project. This elemental volume was divided into three identical floor plates. Each level contains a different program: a flexible work space on the ground floor, bedrooms on the first floor and a generous living area on the top floor. Avoiding any kind of corridors, a linear stair with a triple-height ceiling physically connects (and mentally separates) the different components in this work-living configuration

Full-width terraces on both facades - designed as intermediary zones - extend the interior and act as a privacy filter and climatic control device. Metal mesh wraps the facades, providing support for climbing vegetation - a contribution not only to the interior but also to the street. The program is not expressed or differentiated in the facade, giving the building a degree of indeterminacy and ambiguity