The Athan House was designed by the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

-based architectural firm of

Edmond and Corrigan Edmond and Corrigan is an Australian architectural firm based in Melbourne, Victoria, founded in the late 1970s by partners Maggie Edmond and Peter Corrigan, the firm's principals. The practice's work, both built and written, has been widely ass ...

and is located in

Monbulk Monbulk is a town in Victoria, Australia, 42 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Monbulk recorded a population of 3,651 at the 2021 census. The town is the hom ...

, a town located in the

Dandenong Ranges The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just The Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The ranges consist mostly of rolling hills, steeply weathere ...

just outside metropolitan Melbourne,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The project team consisted of

Peter Corrigan Peter Russell Corrigan (6 May 1941 – 1 December 2016) was an Australian architect and was involved in the completion of works in stage and set design. Early life and achievements Corrigan was educated at Christian Brothers College, St Kilda ...

, Adrian Page and Chris Wood. The house was designed and constructed between 1986 and 1988.Evans, D, 1997. "A Guide To Contemporary Melbourne Architecture." 3rd ed. Melbourne, Australia: Aardvark Magazine, RMIT

Physical description

The owners, Louis and Sophie Athan, commissioned Peter Corrigan to design the house on the site that had previously been used by the family for camping holidays. It was to be large enough to accommodate an extended family of up to eight people.Symbolic Exchange in the Field of Architectural Production - D.Evans
, ase Study 1, Athan House./ref> The house was built on the northern incline of a heavily vegetated

gully A gully is a landform created by running water, mass movement, or commonly a combination of both eroding sharply into soil or other relatively erodible material, typically on a hillside or in river floodplains or terraces. Gullies resemble lar ...

, with access onto the site from the south. Architecturally the house consists of two angled structures overlooking a triangular

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

. Both “wings” consist of a ground and upper floor. Entry to the house is via a sloped driveway along a brick wall to a castle-like closed facade.Hamann, C, 1993. "Cities of Hope: Australian Architecture and Design by Edmond and Corrigan 1962-1992." p.136-139. 1st ed. Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press Australia. The northern aspect of the house overlooks bushland via a series of balconies on the upper level bedrooms. The apex of the triangle created by the two arms of the building consists of a section housing the library and study, with large picture windows overlooking the valley. There is extensive use of different materials such as face-brick, glass and wood, as well as bright painted finishes on the exterior of the building.

Awards and acknowledgments

RAIA (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

awards: Outstanding Architecture, New Residential Category 1989. *Athan House included in David Dunster’s “Key Buildings of the Twentieth Century vol 2: Houses 1945-89” published in 1990Evans, D, 1990. "A Selected Guide To Contemporary Melbourne Architects." 1st ed. Melbourne, Australia: Aardvark Magazine, RMIT.

References

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Bibliography

*Evans, D, 1997. "A Guide To Contemporary Melbourne Architecture." 3rd ed. Melbourne, Australia: Aardvark Magazine, RMIT
Symbolic Exchange in the Field of Architectural Production
- D.Evans, ase Study 1, Athan House.*Hamann, C, 1993. "Cities of Hope: Australian Architecture and Design by Edmond and Corrigan 1962-1992." p. 136-139. 1st ed. Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press Australia *Evans, D, 1990. "A Selected Guide To Contemporary Melbourne Architects." 1st ed. Melbourne, Australia: Aardvark Magazine, RMIT

External links

Symbolic Exchange in the Field of Architectural Production - D.Evans
Houses in Victoria (state)