Genovese Coffee House by Alexander & Co.

In Sydney’s Alexandria, an ex-industrial building enters a new era as Genovese Coffee House, a multifunctional hospitality space infused with Italian charm. Sydney-based interior design studio Alexander & Co. pay tribute to the venue’s rich and storied past while simultaneously situating it in the present. With references to both mid-century design and the site’s industrial heritage, the Coffee House is well on track to becoming a new local favourite.

The Genovese family first came to Australia from Italy in 1950, arriving in Perth, then relocating to Sydney. There, Alfio Genovese began importing and distributing Italian foods, which soon expanded to roasting coffee in Melbourne.

However, it wasn’t until 1970 that Alfio decided to roast coffee that resembled the authentic Italian style that he knew and loved. And so, A. Genovese & Sons was born, its mission being to provide the Australian market with an authentic Italian coffee experience – a mission that still burns bright today.

After operating primarily out of Melbourne’s northern suburbs, the company was looking to try something new. Genovese Coffee House is that ‘something new’; tied still to something very old. The new venue sees the vision and rich memories of a third-generation family member, Adam Genovese, come to life. From its early days as a small roasting factory on Melbourne’s Lygon Street to now, a cafe in one of Sydney’s trendiest neighbourhoods, the company has come a long way since Alfio laid those first foundations.

Imagined as a multifunctional space, the Coffee House includes a sit-down cafe, a traditional espresso bar, a cold brew and training bar, the ‘family table’ and various retail displays. You can sip on a macchiato at the espresso bar, grab a breakfast panini in the cafe, or browse Genovese’s range of delicious blends. And if that doesn’t entice you, the space itself certainly will.

“The creative narrative was developed as a result of combining the building’s historic industrial past and location, with a brand positioning which brings Genovese Coffee into Sydney with its first retail offering,” Alexander & Co. director Jeremy Bull says. The shapes, materials and planning of the space were all influenced by the stories and histories of the Genovese family, as well as their ecological and cultural visions of the future. The final design celebrates the life of the building and the life and ongoing legacy of the Genovese family.

The material palette features warm, earthy tones, with accents of burgundy and orange. The atmosphere evoked by these materials is refined yet relaxing; the perfect place to sit and unwind. Moreover, the varying textures – smooth timber, raw linen, course brick – play on the venue’s humble Italian heritage.

Since 1970, the Genovese family have shared their undying passion for true Italian-style coffee. Genovese Coffee House marks the next chapter in the family’s story, one that we can’t wait to keep reading.

DESIGN: Alexander & Co.
STYLING: Studio CD
PHOTOGRAPHY: Anson Smart
WORDS: Holly Beadle

written by : Holly Beadle
2 Mar 2022
published in : estliving.com

Gallery of Genovese Coffee House by Alexander and Co

Tinderbox House by Studio Ilk Architecture + interiors

Tinderbox House by Studio Ilk Architecture + interiors

Text description provided by Studio Ilk Architecture. Tinderbox House is, at its core, a practical, understated family retreat, for a successful and local Tasmanian family. Responding to the many natural and manmade constraints of the site, the highly crafted design is an attempt to add to the ecosystem rather than imposing itself on it. The site is a large semi-rural battle-axe block with challenging bushfire exposure, complex biodiversity overlays and a rugged cliff-side coastline to the East and South.

The design progressed through a series of iterations based on our desire for a successful passive solar building.

We had intimate knowledge of site conditions via a partially unbuilt work for the previous owner. He had left us with a gaping wound courtesy of an excavated house site above an infamous underground cellar with a tunnelled access to the rocky foreshore below the site. The cellar provided guidance to the logical location and layout for the new house, but the question was how to orientate the building.

We began with an inwards focused courtyard house with maximum solar exposure and concentrated coastal and rural views. This proved not to meet the client’s expectations of expansive views from every space towards the water (south). We solved this by creating a linear sequence of pavilions segmented visually and physically by a series of mudstone bookend walls.

The requested south facing views presented major efficiency challenges, addressed via the mudstone wall elements, the concrete floor and sub-floor providing thermal massing inside the house. We coupled the thermal massing with an internal west facing courtyard and a fully glazed western perimeter.

We super-insulated the floor, walls and ceilings, employed a continuous thermal break along the internal perimeter, fully enclosed the subfloor and provided a commercial scale solar/battery storage system together with a geothermal hot water heating and ventilation system.
The mudstone walls were the core material, a selection made collaboratively between client, architect and stonemason. The stone needed to be local and the tones had to reflect the warm tones in the landscape. These tones then informed the other material selections namely warm caramel burnished concrete floors and the ochre toned spotted gum timber cladding which also had to be bushfire resistant.

The clients yearned for a grounded and calming home, a sanctuary from their demanding professional lives. They have stated many times that the house has delivered more than they ever imagined, and once filled with family and the elements of their life, immediately felt like home.

The clients love to entertain and are able to do this (loudly) whilst children sleep in the guest wing. The centrepiece cantilevered pool performs both a recreational and visual function appealing to both children and adults. The main bedroom wing includes a winter garden complete with a full height spotted gum screen providing privacy and a magical display of light as the sun passes through the day.

Although the overall scale of the building is large, the main spaces are able to be closed off from each other and thus perform effectively from a thermal perspective, substantially reducing running costs and avoiding wasting natural resources. The floor plan is narrow enough to afford excellent cross-ventilation through all rooms without the requirement for artificial cooling.

Despite the existing building excavation, from the previous owner’s unbuilt development, and the existence of the cellar and tunnel, it was not a smooth approval process to utilise the Eastern area of the site for the new house. This was mainly due to changes in, and additions to State planning rules which led to push back from local Council staff who preferred to locate the building on the hilltop area of the site.

For us it was a no-brainer, the Eastern edge of the property was where the home needed to be, nestled below the ridge of the hill where it was not visible from the water, shielded from prevailing winds, focusing on views through the White Gum habitat of the native protected bird species to water views beyond.

This has resulted in a living experience whereby the owners can lie in bed and watch birds nesting in tree tops outside their windows, all whilst listening to sound of waves crashing on the foreshore below.

The client had to have a view to the water from every room, but every room had to have light and warmth. The challenge was the south facing site.

The house needed to perform, be functional in that all spaces needed to have the volume to match the ‘large’ living style of the owners, yet it had to provide rich, intimate interior spaces which felt like a home. The house needed to operate as a small home for the couple who lived in it daily, but more importantly it had to be able to accommodate a large and growing family who would visit (and sleep over) often.

This project was very much a collaborative one. The clients wanted to include a small number of nominated subcontractors, namely the stone mason and the smart home contractor, with whom they have previously worked. Integration of these contractors into the main building team was not without its challenges, but very likely resulted in a more successful build.

The clients desire to seek out the ‘best’ local in their discipline was realised in this complex commercial scale project. A project manager was crucial and their working relationship with the main building contractor was tantamount to the overall success of the project.

Our original courtyard design would have offered a more cost effective solution because it minimised circulation space and provided a more compact footprint. This courtyard design was highly energy efficient and likely would have resulted in lower running costs thus the costs for the solar and geothermal systems would have also decreased.

The final agreed design offered efficiency challenges and the resolution of these definitely came at a cost, but this cost was one the clients were willing to pay in order to achieve their views. In particular the stone bookend walls which ground the building to the site, were labour intensive and complicated to construct around the other elements, but they are here to stay.

The building is built to last, and built to withstand anything the elements and inhabitants can throw at it. Economy is not by definition building the cheapest way, but about building something that will still be here in 200 years. We are proud to have been able to achieve this in a highly efficient passive solar building.

Architects: Studio Ilk Architecture + interiors
Area: 1767 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Anjie Blair
Builder: Lane Group

written by : Hana Abdel
28 Feb 2022
published in : archdaily.com

Gallery of Tinderbox House Project by Studio Ilk Architecture

Lewis House by Studio Roam and Iota

Lewis House by Studio Roam and Iota

Located in Perth’s Cottesloe, Lewis House combines its interesting history and unique stylings with a contemporary relevance and appropriateness for modern life. Originally built in the 1940s, the home was imagined in the Spanish mission style by Peter Thorald Travers Lewis. As an unusual offering from its time, preserving the character and charm of the original home was key, as was restoring and moulding the home to reflect how its occupants live today. The new work both expresses the existing while using a considered approach to insert elements through a sensitive lens and ensure its narrative continues. With architecture by Studio Roam and interior design by Iota, the resulting spaces respectfully reflect time.

The extensive reworking by Assemble Building Co. saw a full site excavation while retaining the walls of the heritage home. Originally built in off-form concrete, the retained walls were the ideal bones to configure a more contemporary layout of connected spaces.

By elevating the entire lower floor, a collaborative process between all parties enables the home to flow effortlessly from one space to the next. A plinth then remains as a marker of the changed floor level. In retaining the existing and working around it, the newer insertions act as responsive and respectful counterparts, with neither in competition with the other.

Having owned and lived in the home for close to twenty years, with their adult children having moved on, the clients wanted to create a fresh start to match their own next chapter. After addressing the functional issues that come with a house over time, the new elements permitted an open embrace of the area through a more modern perspective.

Restraint was integral to the proposal in ensuring that the original continued to be celebrated while allowing for a newfound freshness to be felt throughout. A warm palette of natural materials is inspired by the original home and is brought forward and interpreted into an array of textural finishes, all bound through a common earthed quality.

Through a clear and deep respect for the heritage home, Lewis House continues its lineage through a curated approach by Studio Roam and Iota at the helm.

COTTESLOE, WA, AUSTRALIA

PHOTOGRAPHY: Jack Lovel
STYLING: Jo Carmichael
ARCHITECTURE: Studio Roam Architecture
INTERIOR DESIGN: Iota
BUILD: Assemble Building Co.
WORDS: Bronwyn Marshall

written by : Bronwyn Marshall
24 Feb 2022
published in : thelocalproject.com.au

Gallery of Lewis House by Studio Roam Architecture and Iota

Scandinavian – Inspired Bungalow by Alternative Construction

Scandinavian - Inspired Bungalow by Alternative Construction

This Scandinavian-inspired bungalow extension was an exercise in making minimalism
exciting, where the goal was to design a pared-back and practical home environment
that was still imbued with vitality and warmth.

The interplay between lime washed woodand large windows fills the area with plenty of natural light, as honed grey marbleprovides a subtle yet rich and luxurious contrast.

With timber battens lining the walls and ceiling to form one single surface, it’s a space characterised by clean lines and a simple geometry enabling every aspect of home living to seamlessly meet the next.

Architect | Max Architects
Builder | Alternative Construction

22 Feb 2022
published in : altconstruction.com.au

Inspired Bungalow by Alternative Construction in Melbourne

time Realty Headquarters by Enter Projects

Time Realty Headquarters by Enter Projects

Whilst many workplaces host mundane, boxed offices and an enclosed atmosphere, Time Realty desired an open, inclusive office space that inspired their employees. Enter Projects knew they could make this dream a reality. An open air plan with fluid dynamics and meandering geometrics defines the space, furniture, material and lighting of Time Realty’s newly designed office.

The result contrasts greatly with the existing patina walls, with both elements working together to create a vibrant visual experience. Lastly, the installation of gallery areas in the office brings both context and dynamic architecture to the space. Enter Projects began transforming the office space removing existing layers of plaster and gyprock. They then suspended the ceilings and raised the floors of the office in order to expose the stunning natural patina of the local eclectic neighbourhood.

In fact, the polypropylene ceiling served as a pivotal point for directional movement within the room, as it flows downward to touch the work zone areas. Since the ceiling is made of sheer, thin sheets, the room is left feeling spacious and easily balances with the matching geometric furniture. The furniture itself was locally sourced Australian plywood, which lends itself to the soft aesthetic of the project with bevelled edges and plentiful gentle curves.

Even the stairway was designed with a spacious and airy theme in mind. This resulted in the stairway being coated with layers of black powder, creating a steel work piece with a weaving pattern. By doing this, the stairway becomes its own unique object within the office space while simultaneously matching the overall design language.

The office itself contains an array of areas, including private, semi-private and public rooms. More specifically, the public areas were inspired by goldfish bowls and serve as modern meetings rooms. Enter Projects deployed prefabricated modular techniques in order to create a construction program that was both efficient and conducive to the design layout.

Time Realty’s resulting office space is both unique and effective. This successful outcome can largely be attributed to Enter Project’s specific approach by digitalising and prefabricating the office elements set. This is typical with their design philosophy, as they created an environment that is not only architecturally of the highest quality, but is also interchangeable with various sites and potential expansion plans for Time Realty.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Architects: Enter Projects
Area: 185 m²
Year: 2017
Photographs: Brett Boardman
Manufacturers: Bent and Curved Glass Pty, Caroma, Eire Joinery, Noble & Enter Projects, TBC
Lighting: Noble

written by : María Francisca González
21 Feb 2022
published in : archdaily.com

Gallery of Time Realty Headquarters by Enter Projects

Mansfield House by Robbie Walker

Mansfield House by Robbie Walker

An off grid house built on top of a hill that needed to battle the wild weather. Built with rugged materials, and designed to minimize waste and last a long time.
The only access was up an old track with a good 4×4. A local earthworks team spent three months preparing the road so concrete trucks would make it up. Even when the road was finished the trucks could only make it if they were only carrying half loads.

The house was designed with steel, concrete, glass and plywood. strong materials that would last and be safe in a bushfire prone area. During the build materials were quite easy to get. Since Covid, materials are a lot harder to source and I have heard steel has almost doubled in price.

A glass box to take advantage of the views and solar gain. The bedrooms are at the back of the house which works as a bunker and are protected from the weather

MANSFIELD, AUSTRALIA
Architects : Robbie Walker
Area : 400 m²
Year : 2020
Photographs: Dave Kulesza
Engineering : Taylor Engineering Consultants

written by : Hana Abdel
20 Feb 2022
published in : archdaily.com

Gallery of Mansfield House by Robbie Walker

An off grid house built on top of a hill that needed to battle the wild weather. Built with rugged materials, and designed to minimize waste and last a long time.

House K by Kart Projects

House K by Kart Projects

The clients for this project – a couple and their two kids – wanted a single-story house while also retaining as much of their garden as possible on a relatively small block. The design strategy was to remove the old lean-to and add a small 50 m2 extension of connected living spaces, increasing the total footprint of the house by 30 m2, making the most of each space by overlapping functions rather than adding a new room for each.

The new addition is set back from the northern boundary to maximize natural light and create two aspects for the living room. Internally, the coffered ceiling volumes over the extension reference the cellular plan of the existing weatherboard house by creating a series of loosely defined spaces above each ‘room’. This gives a sense of spaciousness and light by increasing ceiling heights where possible and adding a skylight into one of these ceiling voids to bring natural light deeper into the house.

The new spaces are anchored around a storage volume housing a concealed, retractable TV and other tech and a day bed which creates a connecting space in between the study (the last room in the existing house) and the new living area. The landscape and pool continue this approach outside by overlapping different zones for planting, swimming and gathering. Mirroring the daybed and storage volume inside, the garden is punctuated by the above-ground pool, a long concrete bench and the vertical volume of a custom steel outdoor fireplace.

The materials and finishes are applied in blocks of texture and color to define different elements or sections of the house. The existing house is divided into two – a light volume for kids bedrooms and study, and a darker ‘moody’ volume housing the main bedroom/ensuite and the corridor connecting to the new extension.

The new spaces are much brighter and more stripped back, with a combination of the terrazzo floor, plywood joinery and walls and two minimal black kitchen cabinets. Externally, the new addition is distinguished from the old house with a combination of dark cladding and a series of the deep red door reveals and fins which give the façade depth, texture and protect openings.

FAIRFIELD, AUSTRALIA

Architects: Kart Projects | Architecture
Area: 143 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Rory Gardiner
Structural Engineering: Structed, Cathy Poon
ESD Consultant: Blue Lotus
Construction: Hemming & Nicoll Constructions
Landscape
Construction: Vogue Grange
Pool Construction: Grange Pools

written by: Hana Abdel
17 Feb 2022
published in : archdaily.com

Gallery of House K by Kart Projects Architecture

Composed Calm – Midi 3121 by Sans-Arc Studio

Composed Calm – Midi 3121 by Sans-Arc Studio

Set in Melbourne’s Richmond’s textural grit and bustle, Midi 3121 acts as a transformative place of escape. Within the architectural shell by MA Architects, the café offering celebrates that which Melbournians hold most dear – coffee. Drawing from the solid and brutalist form of the building it sits within, a sense of contrast and warmth form the foundations for the directive for the space, further brought together through an expressed craft and heightening of detail. Together with specialised graphics by Tom Clayton, Sans-Arc Studio reimagines the traditional coffee offering, maximising impact through a deliberately conscious approach. The resulting sense of calm is achieved through diffused lighting and subtleties in textures, enlivened by interplay with light throughout the day.

Built by Frameworks Melbourne, the engagement by Sans-Arc Studio came after the kitchen had already been made and the project was nearing completion. This left a limited timeframe to complete the story for the space, drawing on the surroundings and existing narrative of the area and the architectural proposition to form a fitting response. In its slightness, each element needed both utility and not distract from the overall volume and industrial feel already in place.

Behind the stainless steel and glass shop front, the seamless poured flooring runs throughout the space and into the kitchen. Acting as a textural anchor within the space is the timber counter that welcomes guests and encourages a sense of engagement. The element expresses the artisanal and a handmade approach, similar to the story of coffee making itself.

Hugging the inside and side wall is a linear banquette seating element, where a softly muted green breaks up the monochromatic palette and introduces colour. Select equally minimal furniture and accruements are then dotted throughout, sitting as sculptures internally. While the larger concept of the building uses monolithic and masonry features to create presence in place, as the elements of Midi 3121 reveal themselves, they show a considered refinement.

The journey from the macro to the micro connects through materiality and the expression of the form, while allowing contrast to create a natural hierarchy.

Midi 3121 draws on a less is more philosophical base, seeing Sans-Arc Studio carve a restorative place to pause in the process.

RICHMOND, VIC, AUSTRALIA

PHOTOGRAPHY: Dan Preston
STYLING: Sans-Arc Studio
ARCHITECTURE: MA Architects
BUILD: Frameworks Melbourne
WORDS: Bronwyn Marshall
GRAPHICS: Tom Clayton

16 Feb 2022
published in: thelocalproject.com.au

Gallery of Midi 3121 by Sans Arc Studio

Sorrento Residence by project 12 architecture

sorrento residence project 12 architecture

Sorrento Residence by project12 architecture

Text description provided by Project 12 architecture. Set amongst the dunes and Moonah trees of Sorrento Back beach, Sorrento Residence project comprises of a new home for a family of four. Client and builder, James Clarebrough, wife Emily, and their two boys Archie and Milo had been living on the site for a couple of years, in an old fibro beach shack.

Their brief was for a family home which respected the coastal site and provided a home which was luxurious, yet also relaxed. The house is cut into the site and terraces down gently to respond to the gentle fall of the block.

The front of the house is clad with charred timber ship-lap boards and battens, screening views from the road and which can be closed when the family is away. Stepping behind the screen the material palette softens, comprising of white recycled brick and silver top ash cladding. The external materials are robust, responding to the coastal environment and providing the required bush fire rating.

The texture of the recycled bricks is continued into the interior spaces and complimented with the warmth of the spotted gum to joinery elements.

The L-shaped plan is orientated towards the north west of the site, maximizing natural light and providing protection from the prevailing weather. A double garage and children’s bedrooms are located to the south east of the block, with living spaces arranged towards the north and facing out to the terrace and pool.

The master suite is positioned to the end of the plan, separated from the main living spaces and nestled in the shade of an established Moonah tree.

Project Details

Architects: Project 12 Architecture
Interior Design: Project 12 Architecture
Year: 2019
Builder: James Clarebrough Contstructions
Photography: Derek Swalwell
Styling: Natalie James

15 Feb 2022
published in : project12architecture.com

Gallery of Sorrento Residence by project12 architecture

Limestone House by John Wardle Architects

Limestone House by John Wardle Architects

Text description provided by John Wardle architects. A house that can generate, capture and provide everything it needs on site. A house that minimises its environmental impact beyond the site. This was our client’s ambition, while also creating a generous and delightful living environment. An outer shell of Mt Gambier limestone is carved away to create several carefully orchestrated window apertures.

Those on the street are aligned to achieve light but control privacy and solar ingress into the bedrooms. Larger openings on the north elevation allow for ingress of sun and sky views. The largest aperture is a central, shaded courtyard that draws in natural light, ventilation and the winter sun into the heart of the house.

The setting includes a planted pond in which sits a timber lined study. Everything is set around this calm and contemplative centre, but with views and links outward to a lush surrounding garden.

From the street, a broad sweeping stair leads to a steel portal that identifies the entry. Inside, the spaces are set around the courtyard. Natural light fills the house from various sources whilst remaining well shaded. Living and dining, kitchen, powder room, main bedroom suite and two dedicated studies occupy the ground level. Guest bedrooms, bathrooms, and a roof-top kitchen garden are located above at first floor level. A basement houses most of the building services equipment, a wine cellar, larder, music studio and cars. The garden has been sensitively landscaped with a strong emphasis on native planting.

Limestone is a natural material, locally sourced, and is very simply extracted from the quarry. Its production requires minimal energy expenditure. The hand of the maker is in evidence as the stone is cut, sliced, laid and detailed, often to achieve inventive outcomes – a radiused plan, a cantilevered end, or an oblique opening. Recycled timber cladding to the dining room pavilion and study will eventually weather to a silver grey.

The appearance of the house will evolve, as the timber and stone accept a patina of weathering over time. The interior of the house has a reductive, quiet material palette with a focus on details that accommodate the hand and eye. Siltstone floor tiles from Queensland complement limestone walls. Recycled blackbutt from New South Wales is used for timber cladding and window frames. Reclaimed Tasmanian oak is crafted into flooring, interior linings and joinery.

Two complimentary and voluntary standards were implemented to reach the sustainability ambitions of the project. Adopting Passivhaus principles achieved a comfortable living environment using minimal energy input by creating an incredibly high performing and uninterrupted building envelope. Prefabrication of the thermal shell in a controlled factory environment helped to achieve quality control. Superior indoor air quality is attained using a 100% fresh air mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery.

In addition, the Living Building Challenge directed the selection of healthy, local materials and an off-grid approach to energy and water management. As much a research project as design effort, to realise such ambitious sustainability goals required a highly collaborative effort from everyone involved.