2019 Gallery
Winner: Emerging Architecture Practice
Edition Office for Hawthorn House
The Hawthorn House is defined by two concrete shrouds which provide the framework for how the interior spaces relate to each other and to the external environment. In defiance of its strong formal language, the spatial relationships and experiences of the home arise from a sensitivity to site and context.
Jury Citation
Founded in 2016 by Aaron Roberts and Kim Bridgland, Edition Office has already made its mark on Australian residential architecture. The practice's suit of projects embodies an inspiring merging of art and architecture, in particular, relating to an exploration of material expression, form and spatial practice. The work has a strong sculptural quality and boldness, and the purity of the deep design thinking is often illustrated in expressive model-making.
The poetry of the finished spaces is impressive. Projects such as Hawthorn House, Point Lonsdale House and Fish Creek House demonstrate a layering of screens and courtyards to connect inhabitants to the outside world with consideration and thoughtfulness. Whether responding to a suburban context or an impressive landscape setting, Edition Office takes cues from history and climate in order to anchor a building to its site.
The jury is keen to see this practice continue to grow and take on larger-scale projects, including some medium-density housing in Melbourne's inner-city suburbs.
