Articles by chlsey

In the heart of the Arava region, at the foot of Mount Darga, is the Arava Aquatic Sport Center. The project offers a multi-pool sports facility and community center to the various desert communities of the Arava, and it replaces the single outdoor pools in each of the communities. The structure is used for swimming lessons and competitions, as well as various sports, leisure, and recreational classes. It also serves as an open platform for community activities and public events. The project restores part of the historical role of the well: Water as a source of life and a place that allows opportunities for encounters and social activities.

The Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS) Music Centre, located in Melbourne, Australia, is the latest in a series of interventions undertaken by McBride Charles Ryan (MCR) across the PEGS Campuses. The existing single-level Victorian ‘house’ in this project was used by the School for music tuition. This new building sits alongside one of MCR’s earliest projects for PEGS, completed in 2009, the Junior Boys’ Year 5&6 Building, which plays with the tension between the School and its suburban context, perception, and childhood imagination. This new project was to refurbish the existing historic Music House, add to and provide improved spaces for music tuition and performance.

The house we designed for a young couple, the husband lives and works in the lowlands in the Northwest mountains, he always cherishes a house like in his childhood he lived with his parents, where level 4 houses hidden under the green trees. So when he searched for land to build his own house, he wanted it to have lots of trees. By chance, he found an area of ​​land that seemed to exceed his expectations, large land with many big trees bearing the stamp of the time, located on a gentle hillside with small rocky outcrops on the ground. On this land, he wished to have a simple house, bearing the tradition of the old northern house, but still exuding the breath of the northwest mountains.

The client’s brief was to build an inward-looking space, hiding away from the hustle and busy street outside but still keep close to nature. A separate living space, with green gardens, aquariums where small family members can observe, direct contact with nature, a feature that is necessary for an urban living space. The existing land has only a few mature “Trees” and these need to be kept, this is an important task in our research process.

Designed for a young couple, the brief was to create a home that embodied the relaxed, coastal lifestyle of Barwon Heads. The transformation needed to allow for entertaining and to maintain a strong connection between inside and outside, old and new. Upon entering the restored period home, the light interior is immediately present and carefully contrasted by new charcoal floorboards. Heritage features are maintained through use of the original lining board ceilings, as well as period skirting and architraves, which fit perfectly with the renewed tones.