Albert Park Architect

The earliest projects Foomann undertook were in the City of Port Phillip, and we’ve remained active in the area, both as architects and as frequent visitors to the South Melbourne Market. It’s our view that there is a respect for design in Albert Park that sets it apart, with inspirational homes from every era. It’s also one of Melbourne’s most intact heritage suburbs, and that is a large part of its appeal.

Much of the suburb is graded significant or contributory, so almost any project here should begin with an appreciation of the existing fabric. We’re drawn to clients who love where they live and want to build on it thoughtfully, which is a sensibility Albert Park seems to attract.

Albert Park House

A timber-clad extension (seen in the top image) to a heritage home in the inner city, envisaged as cabinetry: a tidy, fastidious structure and an opportunity for meticulous detail. A restrained palette shifts subtly from room to room, giving each its own identity while connecting new to old.

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Broadway

A new building behind an Edwardian home in Elwood, accommodating a campervan, gym, sauna and pool for a family focused on health and fitness. Timber cladding and a disciplined planning grid keep it both rigorous and relaxed.

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Mosh

A pavilion extension in Elwood, an assembly of simple forms designed to embrace the outdoors. With the glass doors slid away behind the walls, the defined room becomes an open shelter.

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Do you have experience with City of Port Phillip planning?

Yes, going right back to our earliest projects. We’ve worked within Port Phillip’s heritage and neighbourhood character overlays across the suburb’s terraces, period homes and additions. Albert Park is one of the most tightly controlled planning contexts in the municipality, with significant and contributory gradings across much of the suburb, so most projects involve a careful approval process. We usually coordinate all planning matters ourselves, and know when to recommend a heritage or planning subconsultant on a sensitive or complex project.

Can you work on a heritage building or a project within a heritage overlay?

The terrace rows and Victorian streetscapes of Albert Park are a large part of what makes it a beautiful suburb, and almost any home here sits within a heritage overlay. The constraints of a significant or contributory frontage create complex design challenges, with more to manage and coordinate through the Port Phillip planning process. Respect for the existing fabric and an embrace of the elements unique to the period is the right baseline, and we work with our clients to find balance in the design response, knowing when to be polite and when to be bold. We think some of our best work has come from the constraints of a period building.

What kind of Albert Park projects do you take on?

Period homes needing a sensitive response, additions that let families stay long term, and new work where the site allows. We welcome a diverse range of projects across different budgets and scales. We’re drawn to clients who care about design and are excited by what their site or home could become.

If our work resonates, we’d be glad to hear from you.
Please call or send some details about your project, and we’ll be in touch.

Contact:
(03) 9010 5590
info@foomann.com.au