Venturing inside a breathtaking sustainable home obscured behind cascading garden walls, Immersion House is a hidden oasis in the middle of Melbourne’s inner-west suburbia. Creating a family home that offers a sense of refuge, Matsouri Architects defy the conditions of the corner block location through a series of unique and enveloping experiences.

Located on a corner site that slopes gradually towards the back and in a quiet residential area in the inner-western suburb of Melbourne, Australia, Immersion House is a direct response to the client’s very strong brief to have a private sanctuary while retaining aspects of the original heritage home. This brief was the inspiration behind Matsouri Architects's architectural approach – creating experiences and spaces so the occupants could have a sanctuary to raise their family and live in the house they always envisaged.

Inside the breathtaking sustainable home, the integration of interiors with the surrounding nature is key to the home’s immersive effect. On the first floor, one feels a sense of being perched above the street, implanting an almost subterranean feel. The connection between the indoors and the outdoors feels seamless and natural; there is a view towards nature from every part of the house and a strong sense of a singular indoor and outdoor space in the way that one almost doesn't detect what is inside and what is outside when all the doors are folded back.

Similarly, a rich and natural materiality inside the breathtaking sustainable home becomes fundamental to creating this sense of sanctuary and immersion. The use of natural and textural materials such as concrete, timber and steel feel elementally connected to the surroundings. This minimal decor and palette have a quality that ties it all together and imbues the home with a sense of harmony and creates a space that feels all-enveloping.

A key aspect of this raw materiality is the use of rich timber as a key material inside the breathtaking sustainable home. Timber is used on the floors in the heritage part of the home, on the walls and ceilings throughout the extension, on the staircase and on joinery elements. Looking for flooring that was both aesthetic and technical, Matsouri Architects has used Tongue & Groove flooring for its strong design approach and suitability to a variety of applications. This selection allows a fluid transition between floors, walls, ceiling and joinery – flowing seamlessly throughout spaces and across surfaces.

Key to the considered configuration of the site was crafting an immersive experience once inside the breathtaking sustainable home. Hence, Immersion House is a home that is focused on the experience of the inhabitants while also celebrating the existing heritage of the residence. The addition wraps around the original building and opens up the home while maintaining a sense of privacy.

00:00 - Introduction to the Breathtaking Sustainable Home
00:52 - An Inner-City Location
01:07 - Taking Inspiration from A Family Sanctuary
01:32 - The Seamless Indoor Outdoor Connection
01:54 - A Rich and Natural Material Palette
02:18 - Utilising the Versatile Tongue & Groove Boards
03:47 - Satisfying Aspects of the Design
04:18 - Proud Moments

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Photography by Michael Kai.
Architecture by Mitsouri Architects.
Flooring by Tongue & Groove.
Filmed and Edited by Ryan Wehi.
Production by The Local Project.

Location: Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia

The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

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