Elwood Residence is a Melbourne house designed as a solution to a narrow inner city site.

With its cantilevered upper floor clad in aluminium slats, the architects liken the home to a textured and patinated container over glass. At night however, when lit from within, the upper floor is transformed into a lantern, while the lower floor falls away to create the impression of a single sculptural form floating in the night sky.

In response to the extremely narrow site, the architects decided to build to the full boundary of the block, making the new house as wide as possible.

Contained within glass walls, two of the four courtyards read as a continuation of the living area with the largest courtyard at the rear of the property. To one side a long swimming pool follows the boundary, while the opposite side provides a louvered skylight that continues out from the house to the garage as a long cantilevered canopy.

According to the architects, what makes the house exceptional is the experience of the space. Intimate and private on arrival, the house is very much concealed and opens up as you move through the space.