POP-UP House by FIGR Architecture & Design in Essendon, Australia

Project: POP-UP House
Architects: FIGR Architecture & Design
Location: Essendon, Australia
Area: 2,131 sq ft
Year: 2021
Photography by: Tom Bleachford

POP-UP House by FIGR Architecture & Design

The POP-UP House is a luxurious modern home located in Essendon, Australia. With an area of just over 2000 square feet, this beautiful home offers a cozy atmosphere with modern charm. It was designed by FIGR Architecture & Design, whose work may be familiar from other projects featured in our focus. One of these was the Silhouette Hytte house in Elwood, Melbourne.

The POP-UP House aims to challenge the status quo of new family homes, primarily in a heritage context. The conventional approach to new houses often involves occupying most of the lot with minimal rear setback and a solid wall that isolates itself from public space.

Our approach focused on creating a home that questions the above perception, opening up possibilities in often static, underutilized and forgotten areas. The main focus was on interaction with the urban environment, inviting opportunities for engagement between residents, passersby and neighbors to foster a sense of community.

From the street, the facade appears as an projecting silhouette form, a pleasant reference to familiar roof forms in the surrounding area. The upper part of the building hovers above a landscaped mound, creating an entrance into the house. Framed by existing brick walls of neighbors, they become internal edges that create a dialogue between old and new.

The floating lower part of the house creates a basement space that guides guests into the home through refined landscaped gardens, creating a multi-functional courtyard area adaptable and evolving based on use. The green sloping mound is attuned to local vegetation, gently descending toward the street and creating a mound that interacts with the public environment. From the beginning, clients felt their new home should engage with the context beyond the lot, creating a visually appealing public space where neighbors and friends can participate in informal gatherings.

This modest 215 sq m home required architectural constraints and dualities in its use. Intermediate/undefined spaces needed to accommodate multiple programs. One such program is a study located in the passage, activating previously underused thresholds. The green mound provides space for bicycles, communication and a water retention system.

The open terrace extends into the networked zone using intermediate space to create additional zones for play and activity, allowing light to enter the front courtyard. To further eliminate notions of excess, the lower part of the dwelling simultaneously serves as a garage, workshop extension and informal relaxation zone. This flexible space ensures long-term adaptability to new uses.

Increased permeability of the lot through various garden zones and a large backyard. High-quality thermal insulation throughout walls, roof and floor with insulated flooring under tiles and thermally broken double-glazed windows with timber glazing. Where possible, local craftsmen, materials and fixtures were used. The POP-UP House is designed to be robust and durable. The roof is clad in Surfmist Colorbond, reducing heat buildup inside the house and the urban heat island effect.

The walls are mainly white with timber cladding accents of silver ash. The roof shape strategically places solar panels for optimal capture. A 5000-liter water tank was buried in the courtyard. All roof water is collected and reused for toilet rinsing and garden irrigation. Individually manufactured mechanically operable screens are strategically installed on the west facade of the first floor to control western sun shading, while also providing maximum flexibility in managing solar access and views onto the natural strip.

– FIGR Architecture & Design