Designed by Australian firm Windust Architecture x Interiors, the Grand Pavilion is an exploration of human needs, transient relationships and natural aging within the progress of time. A small modern home addition project in Hawthorn East, Victoria, Australia, this 35 square meter space is a sanctuary featuring mid-century elements.
The architects, who are driven by the mission to create spaces that feel and are great, were driven by three main questions: 1) What are our needs as individuals? 2) How do our relationships stand the test of time? And 3) What to do, and where to go, as we age?
The questions that drive the project were born out of a careful consideration of the clients that will inhabit the space. The clients, who are a happily retired married couple, want a space that gives them opportunities for connection but also moments of freedom and independence.
The two, who the architects refer to as Grand Pa and Grand Ma, each want their own space. The architects analyzed their needs and requirements and strategically came up with an optimal design solution. Through collaboration and conversation with the clients, the award-winning architectural firm found that a new home addition will be the ideal solution for the couples’ conflicting dilemma.
The result is the Grand Pavilion – a two fold house connected by intermediary spaces. One side, “the shed” is for Grand Pa. It is located in the rear yard and features mid-century modern master light wood floor. It serves as his own space to give him the sense of independence and freedom he craves. On the other side, Grand Ma’s is able to enjoy the space of the “main” house.
Grand Pa’s shed is enveloped in floor to ceiling glass, allowing for visual transparencies and connection to the main house. The spatial effect negotiates his need for privacy and familial connection. A wall partition punctured with consistent holes hides the shed from the backyard’s view, offering Grand Pa a robust but fluid sense of privacy. The material palette is neutral, a mixture of light wood color highlighted by bold black framings.
While the Grand Pavilion provides separate spaces for Grand Pa and Grand Ma, Windust Architecture x Interiors ensured that opportunities for intimate connections between the two are allowed for by the space.
As such, the buildings are laid out in a way that creates a series of intermediary spaces that encourage family time. These spaces cater to activities that inspire coming together, sharing time with your loved ones and reconnecting as a couple.
