From first glance, material and texture set the tone of the building’s simple yet tactile form. Built with elongated handmade Spanish bricks, 97 Mathoura Road (located in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak) creates a piece of architecture allowing for longevity in built form, while creating equilibrium in design language externally to internally. This highly tactile form expresses the key design principles of proportion, form, rhythm, scale and materiality to create an enduring piece of architecture.

Responding to the client’s brief for a unique design response, the project references the scale and materiality of the surrounding suburb. Internally, spaces are generous and layered with long sightlines to the views beyond. Each apartment brings optimum daylighting and cross ventilation to ensure a comfortable and deeply human experience when inside – the antithesis of modern multi-residential offerings.

The brief was to create an enduring piece of architecture that expresses sophistication through simplicity, with consideration for an ageing demographic. Appreciating the developer’s vision for a high-quality design outcome, there is a level of finesse and choice of finishes that means this project comes with inherent sustainability credentials – it is an apartment building that will stand the test of time, continuing to add contextual value to the area.

Volumes, both inside and out, are generous yet intimate. Spatial planning has been thoroughly considered, with sightlines composed so that wherever you stand there is always a view beyond and connection to the landscape. But the true innovation seen in 97 Mathoura Road is in the highly bespoke and hand-crafted approach, from inside to out. Echoing the external brickwork, the master ensuites feature routed natural stone – an experimental technique that creates an enveloping inside-out rhythm. There is no compromise on this project. Meticulous consideration for the end users and the liveability of space, is coupled with exceptional levels of custom detailing.

Furniture: Cassina, B&B Italia, Living Divani (Space Furniture). Lighting: Flos (Euroluce and Space Furniture); Oluce (Space Furniture). Finishes: Dulux, Signorino. Fittings & Fixtures: Gaggenau, Qasair, Liebherr, Franke, Omvivo, Rogerseller, Brodware.

Photography: Ross Honeysett, Ben Hosking