The Athan House was designed by the

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

-based architectural firm of Edmond and Corrigan 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 h ...

, a town located in the

Dandenong Ranges The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just the Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges in Victoria, Australia, approximately east of the state capital Melbourne. A minor branch of the Great Dividing Range, the Dandenongs consist mostly of rol ...

just outside metropolitan Melbourne,

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. The project team consisted of Peter Corrigan, 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 A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given ter ...

, 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 a ...

. 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 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)