A couple of weeks ago I published the first part of the article that Darren wrote for us about mid century modern courtyards and their houses.
Today we’ll finish our tour with the last house, the Roy Grounds’ Hill Street House.
Roy Grounds’ Hill Street House
A truly unique home that was built in 1953, Roy Grounds’ Hill Street House in Toorak was his own residence and winner of the 1954 Victorian Architecture medal, designed as part of a five-unit town house development.
The house was in fact designed as a prototype for Roy’s project ten years later, the prestigious National Gallery of Victoria located on St Kilda Road.
The Roy Grounds House has a circular courtyard integrated into its perfect square plan. All of the rooms in the house face the internal courtyard, forming an inward looking aspect that gives the house an Asian touch, especially so with the bamboo within the courtyard that acts as a screen.
The house relies heavily on the use of highlight windows on the exterior wall around the house, which give privacy while letting natural light enter.
The Roy Grounds House is considered as one of the most renowned works of modernist domestic architecture in Australia, and is a symbol of Grounds’ work that showcases his experimental architectural style of geometry amongst the work of post war avant-garde architects.
Fortunately, the current owner has painstakingly restored all the fabulous internal timberwork, following the original plans.
If you are curious to see more incredible mid century modern houses, you will definitely like this section. Go and have a look now!
(Photographs by Michael Wee.)
