Round windows in black and red are plugged into the facade of this wood-clad house by Australian firm Judd Lysenko Marshall Architects that sits on the outskirts of Melbourne.

The three-storey residence, called Ormond Esplanade, is split across four levels with a half-level rise between the second and third floor.

The main stairwell has open risers and ascends through a void.

The timber-clad house sits on a sloping site with a low-level garden to the rear, which can be accessed via an external stair.

Here's some more from the architects

Ormond Esplanade

No, they (the client) said. Make it Saint Kilda.

And, make it light. Make it bright. Make it tight. Add all of the green stuff too, please. And, we want it beachy. Maybe like a boat? And it better be fun. Serious fun.

Hmn. How about spotted gum? Or even better, spotty gum.

Skin

A tight wrapped skin creates a shell for this vertical house. Like real skin, it’s blemished and rough. Something to protect the delicate inside, at once tough and resilient, but still stretchy, smooth, supple and tactile.

Baroque

Though seemingly abstract, this house is multilayered, replete with veiled secrets, like a dreaming or wandering left for the occupant to decode – a chain of intimate revelations.

Vertical Living

A tight block turns the circulation on its head. A three level stair rises behind the circular windows providing a connection between the four distinct zones.

The screen-printed hoop pine balustrade links the levels through a carefully constructed narrative of image and colour.

Zones for Living

A garden room lands the ground floor. A grand stair is mirrored inside and out and connects the lofty living to both the beach and the backyard.

The kid’s bedrooms are fun, exciting and colourful and the parent’s garret is necessarily moody, sexy and private.

Lean and Green

The void also provides passive stack ventilation, grounded in a masonry level and a permeable lid. Glazing is optimised and daylight carefully controlled.

A 2.0kw solar system provides energy. Rainwater flushes and washes while grey water keeps the grass green.

This is sensory architecture that cannot be engaged in a single eyeful.

A home of full of wonder and anticipation for a young family.

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