Architecture, the ultimate exercise in collaboration; where design, construction, and people all collide in a fantastical cavalcade of experimentation. Germinating from the seeds of two parent studios, this new structure surges forth along its landscape, determined to be the zenith of the home and office. A multiplicity of narratives sprawl forward, branching out, twisting around; but always returning to weave and harmonise together. This is an architectural exegesis in three parts; welcome to Egan Lane.
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The party wall regularly sits in the middle of the Victorian terrace home; usually serving to isolate the two plots, and act as a shared structural part of houses. Under such conditions, the party wall has become the third property, sandwiched between the two others. In Melbourne, the laneways between many commercial high-rise buildings gave our group a lot of inspiration. Instead of letting a structural party wall straddle two
properties, it is better to give it space to revitalise these plots, promote communication between neighbours, and invite people to share their daily lives.
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There seems to be an Australian interest in private ownership, private homes, and privacy in general; as a result architecture becomes thought of by what it can offer in the private realm, or, what it can do for the owner of the site. Through exploration of different public typologies and forms, the tensions that exist between these two, often opposing realms, are here given a space to be challenged, to be confronted by their inhabitants, and for the public to pass through the newly created laneway.
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Along a lane way adjoining bustling Punt road; buttressed between two glistening towers; on the precipice of an aluminium bi-folding door; and perched on a spartan velvet chaise- lounge; a human inhabits the edge. Moving from boundary, to wall, to opening, to seat; the idea of the fringe scales to suit its surroundings. Filling up the gap, of a street long gone, this architecture sprouts from the periphery, developing into an abode, for those too on the margins. So retreat from centre, come seclude yourself inside, and relax in an apartment on the perimeter.
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The Wall, privacy, and the edge, all intermingle and collide, within this architecture, in order toprovide a new form of housing and office, unique in its approach. Seeking not to provide completeprivacy within its own guarded wall, the structure spills out into its sounding laneway, encouraging people to sit and enjoy the edge. So ensconce yourself with us, and live on the margin of life.
